Shadows of the Past
by MohawkWoman
Summary: *Sequel to "Second Chances". While visiting the Navajo Reservation, identical twins Uncas and Wolf and their wives Alice and Cora, find their trip filled with one mysterious occurrence after another. They also realize someone's trying to get rid of them….any way they can. Modern day Alice and Uncas set in the American Southwest.
1. Chapter 1: Road Trip

***This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between people, places or names are entirely coincidental. I do not own the characters, the book or the movie and I do not profit from this story. I am writing it just for fun.**

* * *

**Shadows of the Past**

**Chapter 1: Road Trip**

As the sun prepared to rise, a soft summer breeze blew in through the open bedroom window, moving the curtains back and forth and gently brushing over Uncas as he lay sleeping in the bed. Playing with his hair, the breeze blew a few of the long black strands across his face and he rolled over onto his other side, putting his back to the window. Still the breeze played with him, now blowing directly on his face. Gradually coming awake, Uncas realized it could not be the breeze he was feeling since he had turned away from it and he slowly opened his eyes to find Alice's face not more than a few inches from his, her lips puckered as she blew on him.

"Oh goodie, you're awake!" she said playfully.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, noticing the room was only just beginning to lighten up.

"It's time to get up! We're getting an early start this morning, remember?"

"Not this early! The suns not even up yet." he muttered as he pulled the bed sheet over his head, intending to go back to sleep.

Alice groaned. Today, she and Uncas, along with Cora and Wolf, were leaving on a ten day couple's road trip, the first vacation the four of them had an opportunity to take in a very long time. In the six years since everyone had arrived in New Mexico, vacations were always family outings that included Papa, Duncan and later, Duncan's wife, Marie. Once the children started arriving, those vacations were reduced to occasional day trips.

But now that Chingachgook, his wife Lila who is also Uncas and Wolf's mother and Nathaniel had arrived and could help to watch the kids, it gave Alice and her sister a chance to escape for some 'alone time' with their husbands. This trip was going to be the honeymoon the two couples never had and Alice was eager to get started. Looking at the large lump curled up under the sheet next to her, she decided to try a different tactic to get her sleepy husband to wake up.

_"Uncaaaasss!"_ she softly purred as she moved the sheet off of his head and slowly ran her finger over his bottom lip.

"Nnnnnnnnh." was Uncas's mumbled response as he rolled onto his back and pulled the sheet back over his head again.

_"Uncaaaasss!_ Wake _uuuuuup!_" she purred again as she slipped her head under the sheet and kissed his lips, then kissed her way down his neck to his bare chest, then down to his abdomen and was continuing on downward toward his manhood until Uncas grabbed her. Pulling her up and pushing her onto her back he rolled on top of her, pinning her down while he tickled her sides.

"Eeeeee!" she squealed as she tried to tickle him back, her giggles mixing with his deep laughter as the summer breeze continued to gently move the curtains.

* * *

Wolf walked through the desert, keeping an alert eye open for any signs of deer. His father and Nathaniel were walking behind him, looking at the hard, dry ground for the hoof prints of a large buck they'd been tracking. Suddenly the buck leaped out of a clump of scrub oak just ahead of them and ran swiftly away. Raising his Winchester rifle to take a shot at the fleeing deer, the ground suddenly shook violently. No sooner did the tremor pass then a strange whirring noise filled the air. Since the deer was now well out of range of his rifle, Wolf turned to his father and brother and found them sitting in a cottonwood tree eating ice cream cones and reading comic books.

Once again the ground shook, again followed by the whirring sound and Wolf opened his eyes, waking to find it had all been a dream and the earthquake and strange noise was from the two suitcases his wife Cora had plopped onto the bed and opened. Rubbing his eyes against the bright light coming from the lamp on the nightstand, he raised his head and watched for a moment as she rummaged through the luggage before he dropped his head back down to the pillow.

"What are you doing? he asked, yawning as he placed his arm over his eyes to shield them from the light.

"I'm checking to make sure we have everything we need. There's not going to be any stores close by where we'll be staying so I want to be sure I haven't forgotten to pack anything."

"Babe, you already have just about everything we own stuffed into those bags. Try as you might and I know you already have, you can't fit the whole house in them."

Cora responded by giving her husband a squinty eyed look and zipped the luggage back up. As she put each suitcase back on the floor, faint giggles and laughter briefly came from the room next to theirs before becoming quiet again.

"Sounds like Alice and Uncas are starting _their_ honeymoon before we even _leave_!" Cora said with a smile. "Does that give you any ideas?...Wolf?" Turning to look at Wolf, she saw he had fallen back to sleep and was snoring softly.

"Oh no you don't." she said seductively as she slipped out of her nightgown and slid into the bed with him.

* * *

A few hours later Little Lila, Maggie, Robbie and Little Ian helped Grandma Lila and Auntie Marie finish wrapping some breakfast burritos for the travelers to eat on the road. Chingachgook, Nathaniel, Duncan and Grandpa Ian sat at the kitchen table while Alice and Cora drilled them with instructions regarding the do's and don'ts of taking care of the children while they are away. As the four men looked to each other for sympathy, Uncas and Wolf walked in through the back door and Nathaniel mouthed the word 'help' to them.

"We got the truck loaded up. You girls about ready?" asked Uncas.

"We just have to go over a few more…." Cora started to say, but stopped when Wolf took the list of instructions out of her hands and set it down on the table.

"Relax!" he told her. "Everything's going to be fine. You've got three experienced parents here. Pop did a great job on the two of you and Duncan, and as for Mother and Father, well look at how Nathaniel and Fox and I turned out…ok, forget I said that last part." said Wolf as he took Cora by the arm and led her toward the back door before she could say anything. "Look, the kids will be fine, don't worry about them. With their mommies and daddies gone, their grandparents and uncles and aunties are going to spoil them rotten."

"That's what I'm afraid of." said Alice as Uncas herded her toward the back door as well.

Standing next to Wolf and Cora's SUV, the two couples said their goodbyes to the family and told the four little ones to be good and to mind their elders before piling into the vehicle. Pulling out of the driveway with a couple of beeps on the horn they were on their way, heading toward the main road which would take them to the Interstate. For a while they rode in silence. Although they were all looking forward to the trip, this was the first time they would be away from their children for more than a day and already both couples were missing them. Finally Uncas broke the silence and set the mood for fun.

"Well, we've got an SUV full of gear, food in the cooler and a couple of maps tucked into the glove compartment. Look out rez, here we come!"

Getting into a festive spirit, everyone settled in for the long, leisurely ride and Alice passed out the breakfast burritos. She and Uncas munched on theirs in the back seat while Cora held one up for Wolf to take bites from while he drove.

"It was really great of your buddy, Don, to offer his mom's house for us to stay in while she's away visiting family. We've never been to the Navajo Reservation before. Where is the house located?" Cora asked Uncas.

"Don said it's near a little town called Shelter Rock, which is somewhere around Tuba City and Cameron. He said there's just a few houses there and a trading post where we can pick up a few odds and ends, but he recommends we stock up on supplies in Tuba City before we go to his mom's place because it's really remote out there. Which means we'll have lots of _privacy_!"

"I'm liking this place more and more!" said Alice with a giggle.

"There's no well out there either," continued Uncas, "the ground water is too contaminated from Uranium mining, so we're going to have to haul water in. His mom is gonna leave her pickup for us. There's a big tank in the back we can fill up and bring water to the house with. We're going to be roughing it, ladies. Are you ready for it?"

"It's nothing we haven't done before." said Cora, remembering the old days back in 1757. "At least we won't have any war parties chasing after us this time!"

* * *

Five hours later, the two couples had entered the eastern portion of the Navajo Reservation. After having driven south from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, they headed west on I-40 to the town of Gallup, taking in the beautiful scenery along the way. A gently rolling landscape of buffalo and grama grass, peppered with scrub oak, pinion, and juniper pines eventually was joined by tall mesas of red sandstone. Small herds of horses and cattle could periodically be seen grazing on the dry vegetation. From Gallup they headed north and then west, crossing into Arizona and stopped for lunch and a little sight seeing in the town of Window Rock before continuing westward to Tuba City.

Uncas had taken over the wheel after their lunch break and he cruised along at a steady pace. Tired from the long drive and full from a wonderful lunch of Navajo Tacos, Wolf snoozed in the back seat with Cora while Alice dozed in the passenger seat next to Uncas. Taking a drink from his water bottle, Uncas took his eyes off of the road for only a second before turning his attention back to the road.

_"Geez!"_ he shouted in surprise as he yanked the steering wheel sharply to the left then back over to the right, pulling the vehicle onto the right hand shoulder where he slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop.

"Fox! What the hell?" said Wolf after he and the women were jolted awake when the SUV swerved.

"I almost hit somebody! Didn't you see her?" said Uncas, panic clearly evident in his voice.

"Who?" asked Wolf, looking out the windows.

"That girl! She was walking right out in the middle of the…..where the hell did she go?"

"What girl? I don't see anyone." said Cora as she looked out the back window.

"Maybe she jumped out of the way and fell into the ditch. We better check it out." said Wolf.

After a quick but thorough inspection of the area, no sign of the girl could be found anywhere and Uncas would have thought he'd imagined it all if he wasn't so sure of what he saw.

"What did she look like?" asked Alice as they all climbed back into the SUV and continued on their way.

"I couldn't see her face because she was looking down at the ground and her long hair hung forward and covered it. She was wearing a long dress, kind of like the ones women wore in the 1800's. I couldn't see her feet either but she walking really fast and she seem angry. Her hands were balled into fists and she was swinging them at her sides. It was like she was really pissed and in a hurry to get away from somebody or someplace."

"Was she Navajo?" asked Cora.

"No, she was white. In fact she was _really _white, her dress, her hair, everything."

"I think you saw a chindi, brother." said Wolf, who was suddenly uncharacteristically serious.

"What's a chindi?" asked Uncas.

"Chindi is the Navajo word for ghost. There was nobody else back there but us. If that girl was real, we would have seen her. In fact, _you_ would have seen her walking long before you finally did spot her since this road is pretty straight. And there is nowhere that she could have disappeared to so quickly." his brother explained.

"A ghost? In broad daylight?" asked Cora.

"Sure. They don't just show up at midnight like everybody thinks. You can see them anytime. The Navajos are cousins to us Apaches and our lands are near each other. We've traded stories with them about the strange things our people have seen over the years. This land is old and has a violent past. A lot of unexplainable things happen out here."

A shiver went down Uncas's spine as he continued driving. _"She looked real enough."_ he thought to himself, but then again, there _was_ something odd about her. Something that said she shouldn't be here.

"Well, this trip is off to an interesting start. We've encountered our first ghost!" said Alice, trying to cheer up her husband who still looked a bit shaken. "I wonder what else is going to happen?"

* * *

In no hurry to reach their destination, the travelers made several stops along the way for sightseeing. When they finally reached Tuba City it was early evening. Stopping at the local supermarket, they stocked up on food and any other supplies they felt they might need, not knowing what would be waiting for them at the house.

As Uncas and Wolf loaded the groceries into the back of the vehicle, Cora noticed a old black pickup truck with a camper on the truck bed parked in a corner of the parking lot. Two men appeared to be selling something from the back of the camper to a third man. All three were white men, the two from the pickup dressed in grubby jeans and tee shirts, the third man looking uncomfortably out of place in a dark grey suit. Grey Suit handed one of the men an envelope and while the other man put several large boxes into the trunk of Grey Suit's luxury sedan.

"What's going on over there?" asked Wolf as he came up beside Cora.

"Just a couple of guys selling something out of their camper. I wonder what that man bought?"

"Dunno. Well, whatever they were doing, they're all leaving now." said Wolf as Grey Suit drove off, followed by the men in the pickup. As he watched to them leave, Wolf took note of the make and model of both vehicles. Something about that whole little scene struck him as odd.

"What's up?" asked Uncas, noticing the look on Wolf's face.

"Nothing!" he replied with a smile. "Let's get going. We need to find the house before it gets dark."

Pulling out of the parking lot, Uncas 'called out' to his brother. Both shared a unique ability to communicate telepathically, something their mother attributed to their being identical twins. They also shared each others pain and always received the same injuries, which nearly killed them both once.

_"Ok, what's going on? You've got that look in your eyes that you get when you're hunting." _Uncas silently asked Wolf.

_"That little deal going on back in parking lot just seemed strange. Who wears a suit and drives a car like that out here?"_

_"Somebody with a lot more money than we've got. It's none of our business anyway, this isn't our jurisdiction. You've been working in the Sheriff's Department for too long. You're not happy unless you're on the trail of something. We're both off duty and on vacation, remember?"_ said Uncas. _"Besides, we're Search and Rescue, not Criminal Investigation. That's Duncan's job." _

* * *

After driving south of Tuba City for another twenty minutes, they turned off onto a dirt road and followed it for several more miles. More of a dirt track than a road, they had to drive very slowly over the rough ground which was full of rocks and deep ruts. At one point a handful of free range cattle stood in their way, refusing to move. Only after Uncas got out of the SUV and chased them away were they able to continue. Alice smiled as she remembered Uncas chasing the horses the day they first met.

Making their way along the dirt track, they had to cross three separate dry washes, which was very tricky. Wolf had to negotiate the SUV at an angle down the steep banks and back up the other side, all the while maintaining a steady speed without stopping or else they would get stuck in the deep loose sand in the riverbed.

"There's no getting to and from this place in a hurry, that's for sure." said Uncas. "Start watching for a wooden post with a tire around it. It should be over here on the left." After driving for another five minutes, Alice spotted the marker.

"There it is!" she said, pointing toward a post with a tire propped up against the front of it.

Turning down another dirt track that led past the post, they drove for another mile, following the track around a low mesa. Rounding the other side of the mesa, they saw the house backed up against it. It was a small, Government Issue ranch style house with a wooden deck on the front and some small solar panels on the roof, which the homeowner's family pitched in to buy for her. A couple of pinion trees grew next to the left side of the house, providing welcomed shade. Another octagonal shaped building made of logs with a dome shaped sod roof was nearby, along with a ramada made of wooden poles, two small storage sheds and a large corral. Called camps by the Navajos, the house and outbuildings were well taken care of.

"Well, be it ever so humble, this is our home. At least for the next eight days it is." said Uncas.

"I love it!" said Alice. "What an adventure! We're going to have such fun!"

Uncas took the house key that his friend had given him out of his pocket and opened the front door. The house was very tiny but cozy and consisted of a livingroom with a bathroom behind it, a kitchen in the back of the house and two bedrooms off to the left, with a big wood stove just in front of the front door. The kitchen had a propane cooktop and a small refrigerator. Wolf flicked a light switch on the wall and a large pedestal floor fan started to spin. Checking the refrigerator next, he found it was also working and a large stockpot full of mutton stew was inside along with a note:

_Made the stew before I left _

_this morning. Knew you'd _

_all be hungry and tired when_

_you got here. Thanks for _

_house sitting for me._

_Love,_

_Annie xxoo_

"At least we have some electricity, thanks to those solar panels. And it looks like Don's mom arranged dinner for us." said Wolf.

"Ohhh! How sweet of her to do that!" said Cora.

After unloading the SUV, the two couples sat out on the front deck to eat the mutton stew while enjoying a magnificent sunset. Except for the mesa directly behind the house, the land around the camp was flat and stretched for miles in any one direction to more distant mesas. Not another home was in sight anywhere.

"You were right, Fox." said Wolf. "This place sure is private. You could walk around naked out here and nobody would ever see you. Hey! Maybe while we're here we could….."

_"NOOO!" _was the unanimous chorus from the sisters.

Looking at his grinning brother, Wolf gave a shrug. "Can't say I didn't try."

Exhausted from the long day of driving and sightseeing, Uncas and Wolf went to bed as soon as it was dark. Alice and Cora soon followed after they washed the dishes and put them away. Turning off the kitchen light and joining their husbands in their respective bedrooms, neither of the sisters noticed a light moving in the distance near one of the mesas.

* * *

***Author's Note: **I wanted to set the scene for this story by describing the house and the land, which will come into play in future chapters. While this is not a ghost story, it is going to be peppered with actual paranormal experiences that my boyfriend and I have each experienced over the years. Since my boyfriend is Navajo, I am very familiar with life on the reservation and the camp that I have our honeymooners staying at is actually based on his late mother's camp. The town of Shelter Rock and the solar panels and refrigerator are of my creation for the story. The actual home does not have electricity and, until fairly recently, did not have running water. By the way, my boyfriend's mother lived there by herself until she was in her early 90's. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy this story. Reviews are much appreciated. May you always walk in beauty! (Navajo blessing)


	2. Chapter 2: Words of Warning

**Chapter 2: Words of Warning**

Clunk!

Wolf woke up out of a deep sleep, sure that he had heard a noise. As he glanced around the room which was dimly lit by moonlight he felt slightly disoriented, not recognizing his surroundings at first then remembering where he was. He looked at Cora who was sound asleep next to him with her head on his shoulder and her arm across his chest. Carefully reaching for his watch on the nightstand so as not to wake her, he saw that it was just after two in the morning. He listened to the silence and, deciding that he must have imagined the noise that woke him up, he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

Clunk!

This time he heard it clearly! It sounded like the bathroom door had been closed. Listening, he heard footsteps walking across the livingroom floor and he relaxed, assuming either Alice or Uncas had gotten up to use the bathroom. But instead of returning to the bedroom next door, the footsteps continued to pace around the livingroom, making the floorboards squeak in a distinct pattern. Whoever it was then walked into the kitchen and Wolf next heard what sounded like the lid from the tea kettle being removed.

Thinking whoever had gotten up could not sleep, he was just about to get up himself and join them for a cup of tea when he heard the bedsprings squeak in the other bedroom and someone opening the door. More footsteps were heard walking across the livingroom, followed by the clunk of the bathroom door being closed. Soon after, the toilet flushed and water was run in the sink. Then the bathroom door was reopened and footsteps again slowly walked across the livingroom.

As Cora mumbled a complaint in her sleep, Wolf slipped out from under her, quickly pulled on his briefs and hurried out of the bedroom, nearly colliding with Uncas who was just reaching for the doorknob to his room. Shooting a quick look toward the empty kitchen, a confused Wolf looked at his brother who himself had a puzzled look on his face.

"What's the matter?" whispered Uncas.

"Where's Alice?" whispered Wolf nervously.

"She in bed sleeping. Why, what's wrong?" asked Uncas, still trying to figure out why his brother was acting this way.

"She didn't get up just now, before you did?"

"No."

Wolf walked into the kitchen and looked at the tea kettle sitting on the cooktop, its lid in place. Pulling out a kitchen chair, he sat down and rubbed a hand over his eyes and then covered his mouth, resting his elbow on the table.

"Just before you got up, I heard the bathroom door being closed twice and someone pacing around the livingroom. Then whoever it was walked into the kitchen and pulled the lid off of that kettle over there. That's when I heard you get up."

"There wasn't anybody out here. This place is so small, I'd have seen them." said Uncas as he checked the locks on both the front and kitchen doors.

"Doors are locked, so nobody ran outside. Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. But I swear I heard someone out here and I wasn't dreaming it either. I was wide awake. You sure you didn't hear anything before you got up?"

"No, I didn't hear a thing." replied Uncas.

"Listen, don't tell the girls, ok?" said Wolf. "We're really isolated out here and I don't want to scare them. Besides, it's probably nothing."

"You thinking it's those chindi again?" asked Uncas.

"I don't know….maybe. Most likely it's just because I'm staying in a strange house and I'm not familiar with the normal sounds it makes."

"Uncas?" said a sleepy Alice as she walked out of the bedroom rubbing her eyes. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah! Everything's fine! Wolf and I were going to sneak some of that leftover stew for a midnight snack but you caught us in the act. Go back to bed. I'll be there in a minute." Giving his wife a kiss on her forehead, Uncas turned her toward the bedroom and gave her a gentle pat on her back to start her on her way.

"Ok." she mumbled sleepily as she went back to bed.

"You alright?" Uncas asked his brother, who was still sitting at the table, staring toward the livingroom.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Wolf said, forcing a smile. "Go back to bed and get some sleep. I'm just gonna sit here for a little while. Goodnight Fox."

"Goodnight." said Uncas, giving his brother a worried look as he walked back to the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Sitting in the dark, Wolf looked around the kitchen and livingroom. Tomorrow he would do a cleansing ritual and smudge the home with sage to bless it. The house probably didn't need it….but it wouldn't hurt…..just in case.

* * *

After breakfast the next morning, Wolf performed the cleansing and blessing, telling the curious women it was just a polite thing to do. Not understanding the Apache words he spoke, they were not aware of what he was really doing.

Meanwhile, Uncas was exploring around outside and found a trail leading up to the top of the mesa behind the house where a vehicle could be driven in order to fill the large water storage tank buried at the top. Checking the measuring gauge, he saw the tank was about three quarters full.

As he started to walk back down the trail, a glint of light hit the corner of his eye and he looked out toward one of the distant mesas. Seeing movement, he could just barely make out a few free ranging cattle and what appeared to be a black truck with something large and white on top of it driving past them. He watched the truck for a few moments as it moved farther away until it was out of sight. Continuing back down the trail, he returned to the house just as Wolf finished the smudging.

"What's with all the smoke?" he joked as he walked in the back door, fully aware of what burning sage smelled like. "Are the girls cooking again?"

His joke earned him a swat with a dishtowel from Cora and as he dodged it, he looked at Wolf.

_"You did a smudging?"_ he silently asked his brother.

_"I figured it can't hurt." _was Wolf's silent reply.

"By the way, I saw somebody driving along the base of that mesa out front."said Uncas out loud, gesturing with his head in the direction he saw the vehicle. "We're not as alone as we thought. We'll have to be careful about running around naked."

"Who'd be driving around out there?" asked Cora. "And we're not going to run around naked!" she added, giving Uncas another swat with the towel.

_"_There were some cattle out there as well, maybe the owner was checking on them." said Uncas, grabbing the end of the towel and having a tug of war with Cora as Alice joined in, swatting him from behind. "All I saw was what looked like a black pickup with something white on back of it, like a camper. Hey, can I get some help over here?"

Wolf shot his brother a look. "A black pickup with a white camper on the back? That's what those guys in the parking lot were driving yesterday. You know, the ones selling something to the guy in the suit."

"I'm sure there's more than one black pickup truck with a camper out here." said Uncas. "As for the man in the suit, he probably bought something from those guys on the Internet and they met there to complete the sale. Wolf, will you do something with your wife? Alice, will you stop! Wolf, _help!_" True to his namesake, Wolf was relentless when he got on the trail of something and Uncas was equally as determined to get his brother to forget about the parking lot incident. Besides, he was losing badly.

"Yeah, your probably right." said Wolf, not sounding convinced. Setting down the abalone shell with the still smoldering smudge stick in it, he left Uncas at the mercy of the sisters and went outside. Standing on the front deck with his hands on the railing, he looked off toward the mesa where Uncas said he saw the truck.

"Wolf? What's the matter?" asked Cora as she joined him outside on the deck, holding the towel Uncas was forced to surrender when Alice jumped on his back.

"Nothing! I'm just enjoying this beautiful view!" said Wolf, trying to sound cheerful as he scanned the horizon. Looking at Cora, he took her into his arms and held her to him tightly. "And now I'm going to enjoy my beautiful wife." As the two embraced, Wolf looked over the top of Cora's head toward the mesa.

* * *

Having tidied up the kitchen after breakfast, the two couples went outside and sat in the shade under the large ramada. Underneath it, the homeowner had placed a picnic table and two lounge chairs, making a comfortable outdoor sitting area. Not far from the ramada was the log building with the dirt roof. Alice wandered over to it and walked around the exterior, looking for a window to peek in but found it had none.

"What is this building I wonder?" she asked as the others came over to join her.

"It's a Hogan." said Uncas. "It's used to be the traditional home of the Navajos. Don said not many people actually live in them anymore, but they still use them to hold traditional ceremonies in."

"Can we look inside?" asked Cora.

"As long as we just look but don't actually go in it." said Uncas. "It's a sacred place to the family."

Opening the latch on the door, they all quietly peered inside. A large square smoke hole in the center of the domed roof provided the only light in the interior, aside from what filtered in through the now open door. A stone rimmed fire pit was in the center of the room and various blankets and deer skins hung from the walls. A number of large throw pillows were scattered about on the floor and several bundles of sage and other dried herbs hung from the logs which supported the roof. After everyone had a look inside, Uncas closed the door and secured it and joined the others back under the ramada.

"I checked the water tank up behind the house and it's still pretty full." he said as Alice scooted over on one of the lounge chairs so that he could lay down with her. "But we don't know how quickly we'll empty it, so I think it might be a good idea to take the pickup and fill that portable tank in back of it. Besides, then we can check out the trading post."

* * *

Arriving at the Shelter Rock Trading Post in the crew cab pickup belonging to their host, Uncas parked the vehicle in the shade under a large cottonwood tree and everyone piled out to have a look around. Made of red sandstone blocks, a large one story building situated next to a stand of cottonwoods housed the trading post itself, while a wooden barn of equal size, with an attached corral containing several horses was on the other side of the trees, serving as a stable and equipment storage.

Inside, the trading post consisted of a large main room in the front of the building, with a woodstove in the center. Shelves from floor to ceiling on each wall were stocked with an assortment of canned goods, boxed foods and various household supplies and toiletries. Wooden counters with glass display cases ran in front of the shelves on three sides, with an opening leading to another room on the right that contained a variety of Navajo rugs, paintings, wood carvings of kachina spirits, and woven baskets. Another door in this room led to the private living quarters in the back.

Uncas and Wolf felt like they had stepped back in time again, each having visited similar trading posts back in the old days. The couples looked around at all of the merchandise and at the silver and turquoise jewelry in the display cases which was divided into two sections, old pawn and new pawn.

A man stood behind the counter, assisting an elderly Navajo woman with her purchase. He looked to be in his mid fifties with a stocky build, light brown hair which was graying at the temples and a moustache. Finished with the elderly woman's purchase, he greeted his new customers as she left with her bag of groceries.

"Morning!" he said cheerfully. "Can I help you folks with anything?"

"Yeah, we were told we could fill our water tank here?" said Uncas.

The man looked out the open front door at the truck parked outside.

"Isn't that Annie Tsosie's pickup? he asked.

"That's right." replied Uncas. We're staying at her place for a while."

"Oh right! Yeah, she said two young couples were going to watch her place for her while she's away." Holding out his hand to both Wolf and Uncas, he introduced himself. "Name's Tom Lester." Looking from Wolf over to Uncas, Tom gave a short laugh.

"Holy smokes! I guess there's more than a few people who have gotten the two of _you_ mixed up!" he joked. "I've seen identical twins before, but never any that looked as perfectly alike as you two."

While Tom enjoyed a hearty laugh at his own joke, Wolf and Uncas both smiled politely. Alice and Cora each shared a grin to each other as they remembered several incidents where people had indeed confused the twins, one of which had been down right hilarious.

"The pump's out on the side of the building facing the barn." Tom continued. "Just pull your truck up next to it and swing the bar with the faucet on it over the opening in your tank. Come back in when you're done and tell me what the meter reads and I'll ring the sale up for you. Its five cents a gallon. Let me know if you need some help."

"Thanks." replied Wolf as he and the others went outside.

* * *

After filling the water tank in back of the pickup, the couples began the trip back to the camp. About a mile down the road from the trading post, they saw the elderly Navajo woman from the store walking along side the road with her bag of groceries. Uncas pulled up along side of her and stopped the truck as Wolf leaned out the window.

"Yá'át'ééh Shima!" Would you like a ride?" he greeted her.

"Ah-Hyyehh-hheh'. she replied.

Wolf got out of the front passenger seat and held the groceries while helping the woman climb in. Taking a seat in the back crew seat with the girls, he introduced himself and the others and asked her where she was going.

The woman introduced herself as Ella Begay and gave directions to the camp where she and her husband lived. As they drove along the dusty dirt road, Ella commented on Wolf's knowledge of the Navajo language.

"You speak Navajo really good, but I can tell you're not Dine'. Are you Apache?" she asked.

"Our mother is Apache but our father is Mohican. How did you know?" asked Wolf.

Ella gave a little laugh. "Apaches always speak really, really fast!" Looking at Uncas and then at Wolf, Ella broke into a big grin.

"Your mother must have had some time raising _you_ two…Whooo!" she said as she looked up at the top of the cab and laughed. Then Ella's mood suddenly became serious.

"I recognize this truck. It's Annie Tsosie's. You must be the people who are watching her place for her. She said some friends of her son were coming to stay there while she's gone"

"That's us!" said Uncas. We're really enjoying our stay out here and we're looking forward to doing some exploring around the area. Annie's son told us there are some Anasazi ruins out there near the house."

"Yes, there are. Some of the Ancient Ones from Wupatki split off and moved near Jackrabbit Mesa. But be _very _careful. There's a lot of chindi out there and skinwalkers too!"

"Skinwalkers?" asked Alice.

"Navajo witches." answered Wolf.

"Oh…that's…nice." said Cora hesitatingly.

"Don't worry, Shima. We'll be careful." said Uncas. "Is this your place up here?"

After dropping her off in front of her house, Ella stood outside and watched the couples leave, saying a prayer of protection for them in Navajo. As they drove away, she felt a shiver go down her spine and she added in English, "Be careful, my children. Don't you go getting yourselves killed too!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you for your reviews and for being patient while I write this story. Another chapter is in the works. My job keeps me very busy and the only time I have to do any writing is in the evenings and sometimes in the morning before I leave for the day, so I'm not able to post new chapters as fast as I would like to. The Navajo language is known as one of the most difficult of the Native American languages to speak. I thought you might enjoy it if I put a little example of it in this chapter for you. The translations are as follows (minus the tones and accents of course):

Yá'át'ééh Shima! means 'Hello my mother'

Ah-Hyyehh-hheh' means 'Thank you'

Dine' means Navajo, or more specifically, the People

By the way, the incident in the beginning of the chapter actually happened to me while I was the caregiver for my late mother who was terminally ill at the time. I assumed it was my mother who got up the use the bathroom the first time, not Alice or Uncas. (I _wish_ it had been Uncas!) Unlike Wolf, however, I did NOT get out of bed to investigate after my mother did indeed get up. No, no…I turned my back to the bedroom door and pulled the blankets over my head because the noises continued after she went back to bed. I have had many paranormal experiences both before and since, but that is the one and only time I was truly scared out of my wits!


	3. Chapter 3: The Ancient Ones

**Chapter 3: The Ancient Ones **

Driving back to the camp, Uncas asked Wolf what he thought about Ella Begay's warning about chindi and skinwalkers being out by the Anasazi ruins and Jackrabbit Mesa.

"Dunno." said Wolf. "It's possible the spirits of the Ancient Ones are still hanging around the ruins. I wasn't surprised that she mentioned chindi. It's the yee naaldlooshii_,_ the skinwalkers that I wasn't expecting to hear about."

"You said skinwalkers are witches?" asked Alice.

"Yeah." said Wolf. "It's a form of black magic and the skinwalkers who practice it are supposed to be able to shape shift into animals and do bad things to people. I wouldn't worry about it though. A lot of the stories you hear are just superstition, like every culture has. I still want to check out those ruins."

"What do you say we pack a lunch when we get to the house and hike over there? We can have a picnic and do some exploring!" suggested Uncas.

After arriving at the camp, Uncas and Wolf filled the underground water tank and parked the truck in the shade alongside the Hogan to keep the rest of the water in the portable tank from evaporating in the heat. Meanwhile, Alice and Cora packed a lunch in a couple of backpacks along with several bottles of water, first aid and snakebite kits, two flashlights and a couple of blankets. When the twins returned to the house, the four set out for Jackrabbit Mesa.

* * *

The mesa looked deceptively closer than it was and it took them over an hour and a half to hike there. Made of red sandstone Jackrabbit Mesa rose sharply, about four hundred feet, out of the desert floor and stretched for several miles. A roadrunner paused briefly to look the hikers over as he dashed in front of them, a small lizard hanging from it's beak. Numerous jackrabbits were seen scampering about and it was clear to see how the area got its name.

Once they reached the mesa they followed around the base of it for another mile until they could see the ruins jutting up from the ground at the bottom of the cliff. Having once been towering structures several stories high and constructed of flat sandstone bricks, most of the buildings had crumbled over the centuries and all that remained were walls of varying heights, some head high and others low enough to step over. There were also several large circular pits lined with stone walls which once served as ceremonial kivas.

Uncas and Wolf each opened a small leather pouch which hung from a belt loop on their jeans and removed a pinch of tobacco. As Alice and Cora stood behind them with their heads bowed, the twins sprinkled the tobacco in the air as both said a prayer in Apache and Mohican to honor the spirits of the Ancient Ones, thanking them for allowing them to visit their beautiful home. After the prayer, the two couples took their time exploring the ruins. Two large structures were more intact than the others and the four walked through the various rooms in the now, mostly roofless remains. Exiting a large gap in one of the walls, Wolf and the sisters joined Uncas who was already standing outside.

"Looks like someone's been digging out here." Uncas said, pointing to some freshly turned earth before walking around the corner of one of the walls. "There's freshly dug holes and covered up patches all over the place. Somebody's been looking for something and making a hell of a mess in the process."

"Maybe some archeologists are studying this place." said Alice.

"Nah, it's too disorganized." replied Wolf. "A professional dig would be marked off in a grid pattern and be very carefully dug. No, Uncas is right. This is definitely an amateur job."

"It could just be somebody collecting clay to make pottery." said Cora. "The soil by this mesa is perfect for that."

"Could be." said Wolf, noticing pot shards scattered about on the ground near the digging sites.

Scouting the area some more, Uncas found tire tracks leading off in the direction he had seen the black truck driving that morning. _"It could just be a coincidence."_ he thought to himself. _"Lots of people drive black pickups although, granted, they don't all have white campers attached. Maybe Wolf was right to be suspicious about those two men in the parking lot."_ but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself for now.

"Come on, you two, let's eat!" Alice said to the brothers. "You're a bad influence on my husband, Wolf. Now you've got him chasing imaginary bad guys too!"

* * *

After enjoying the lunch the girls packed, Uncas and Wolf were ready for a nap. Sneaking up behind Alice and Cora, who had just finished repacking the picnic things into the backpacks, the twins gave a war whoop and grabbed their wives, flinging them over their shoulders and "kidnapping" them for some private time. They each carried their giggling women, who put up a mock fight of resistance, off to the secluded spots they had picked out to enjoy some intimacy with their more than willing 'captives'.

Later, in a shady corner of one of the rooms in the ruins, Alice lay on top of Uncas with her head on his chest, trailing a lazy finger back and forth along the line of tattoos that ran across it. Various articles of clothing were scattered about the floor and, although the day was very hot, a cold breeze blew over the pair and Alice pulled the other half of the blanket they were laying on over them. Looking at her sleeping husband's face, she noticed the breeze was gently blowing his loose hair.

Remembering a similar moment a few days ago on the morning they left home to come on this trip, she was about to blow on Uncas's face again when he opened his eyes.

"Caught you!" he said with a smile and his lips met hers in a deep and passionate kiss. As Uncas rolled the two of them over, placing himself on top of her, he felt the breeze become a noticeably cold draft. Raising his head, he looked toward an adjoining room where the draft seemed to be coming from.

"Do you feel that?" he asked.

"_Mmm_hmm!" said Alice, placing feathery kisses on his chest as she reached her hand down and took hold of him.

"Not that! The draft. Where's it coming from? It's almost freezing!"

"Mmmmm, forget about the draft. If you're cold, I've got something that will warm you right up." she purred seductively as she moved the hand that was holding him back and forth, rubbing him against her private area. All thoughts about the draft were quickly forgotten as the two became locked in an intimate embrace.

* * *

An hour later Wolf and Cora returned to the picnic site to find Uncas and Alice rummaging through the backpacks that were left behind during the 'kidnapping'. As they approached them, Wolf broke out in a mischievous grin.

"Hungry again already? What kind of nap did you two take to work off all that food we ate? And here I thought Cora and _I_ made the Ancient Ones blush!" he said, turning to his wife who had an equally big grin on her face.

"Found them!" said Alice, triumphantly holding up the two flashlights.

"Flashlights?" asked Wolf with a raised eyebrow. "Ok, I give up. What do you need flashlights for? There's not a cloud in the sky today."

"We found something!" said Uncas. "There's a section in the back part of the ruins by the base of the mesa where the rooms are still fully enclosed. We were in one of the open roofed ones in front of them and we felt an icy draft blowing over us. I tried to see where it was coming from but it was too dark in there so we came to get the flashlights. Come on, let's check it out!"

Returning to the room, Uncas and Wolf each took a flashlight and crawled in through the low door. Once inside they shined the flashlights around the room and found it was about eight by ten feet with a surprisingly high ceiling. Possibly used as a storage room by the Anasazi, there were no windows or doors except for the one they came in through. There was, however, a large hole in the back stone wall which the icy draft was coming from.

"Can you see anything?" asked Cora as she and Alice peered in through the doorway.

Uncas got down on his hands and knees and stuck his head in. "It's some kind of a passageway." he said as he began to crawl inside of it. "I'm going to see where it goes."

"Be careful!" said Alice as she and Cora crawled through the doorway to join Wolf in the little room. Listening at the opening in the wall, they could hear Uncas's movements gradually getting fainter as he moved deeper inside.

_"Aw crap!"_ Uncas suddenly shouted from inside the tunnel.

_"UNCAS!"_ cried Alice, afraid something had happened to him.

_"I'm ok!"_ he immediately hollered back. _"There's a big-ass tarantula in here and it's heading my way. _Ok bug, this place isn't big enough for both of us. I'll make a deal with you. Start walking the other way and I'll let you live, but if you keep coming toward me all bets are off." After a short pause with the sound of dirt and pebbles being scattered he added, _"Good. It's leaving."_

The sound of Uncas's movements resumed, continuing to grow fainter until they could not hear him anymore. Then came the sound of something sliding and dirt and rocks bouncing. Everything was quiet for quite awhile after that and Wolf noticed the women, particularly Alice, were getting nervous.

_"Fox! What's happening in there."_ he shouted into the passage. When there was no response, even Wolf started to get concerned. _"Fox! Answer me!"_ Still no response. Silently, Wolf 'called out' to his brother. _"Fox, where the hell are you!"_ but he still received no reply. "Something must have happened. I'm going in there." he told the sisters.

"We're coming too!" said Alice, who was noticeably shaking. Before Wolf could object, they heard a very faint voice coming from deep within the passageway.

_"Hey guys! Come here! You gotta see this!"_ Uncas hollered back to them.

Crawling through the hole in the wall, Wolf and the girls followed the beam of the flashlight he was holding, carefully making their way down the long narrow tunnel that angled downward. The very low ceiling forced them to walk in a crouched position and Wolf was just about to start crawling again to avoid getting a cramp when the passage suddenly plunged into a steep slope.

"Careful! It's pretty steep." he warned the girls.

In a sitting position and half sliding most of the way, the three reached the bottom of the slope where Uncas stood waiting for them.

"Look at this place!" he said, his voice echoing. "This is where the cold air was coming from."

Shining the flashlights around them, they found they were standing in a very large underground cavern. Looking like an eerie landscape from another planet, the cavern was filled with an assortment of stalactites hanging from the extremely high ceiling and stalagmites and other rock formations growing out of the floor. An assortment of recesses of varying sizes, and openings to other chambers of the cavern peppered the walls and an array of minerals caused many of the surfaces in the cavern to sparkle as the flashlight beams passed over them.

"This place is huge!" said Wolf, in awe of his surroundings.

"There's one chamber after another in here and some of them have openings that lead to more chambers. Who _knows_ how far all of this goes? You could spend _weeks_ exploring this place!" said Uncas.

"It's so cold down here. I wish we'd brought the blankets with us." said Alice.

"This reminds me of the Carlsbad Caverns back in New Mexico." said Wolf.

As the two couples explored the main room, Cora became aware of a strange sound. "Do you hear that?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do." replied Uncas.

"What is that?" asked Wolf.

"It almost sounds like somebody moaning or crying." said Alice.

"It's probably just wind moving through this place." said Uncas.

"That doesn't sound like wind to me. That actually sounds like a voice speaking in Hopi or some language like it. But it doesn't sound real somehow." said Wolf.

"Maybe it the ghosts of the Anasazi. The chindi that Emma told us about." said Cora.

"I'm getting scared. I don't like it down here anymore. Can we please go back now?" said Alice as she wrapped her arms around Uncas's waist.

"Ok Pretty One. Come on." said Uncas, calling her by his old nickname for her as he put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

It took the four quite some time to make their way back to the opening in the enclosed room. Climbing up the slope to the tunnel proved the most difficult and everyone slipped and fell several times. At one point Wolf stumbled and scraped his wrist on some rough stone, with Uncas doing the same right after that. Turning to look back at his brother, Uncas shot him a 'thanks a lot' look for the shared injury and pain.

"Sorry!" was Wolf's sheepish reply.

Once they reached the ruins, they all stood out in the late afternoon sun to catch their breath and to warm up. Looking at the position of the sun, Wolf suggested they start the long walk back to the house. Gathering up the backpacks and blankets they'd left at the picnic site, the two couples made their way back around the base of the mesa to the side facing the camp.

Just as they were about to walk away from the mesa and head out over open land, Wolf noticed a few pebbles clattering down from above. Looking up he saw a large rock falling off the edge of the cliff, heading straight toward him and Cora.

_"LOOK OUT!" _he shouted, pulling Cora out of the way as the rock crashed down, just missing them.

"Oh my god!" said Cora as she stood trembling in Wolf's arms. "We could have been killed!"

"What the hell made that fall?" asked Uncas as he looked up toward the top of the mesa.

"I don't know." said Wolf. "But I've had about enough of this place for one day. Let's get back to the house.

* * *

By the time they reached the camp the sun was getting low in the sky. Several times during the walk back, Wolf and Uncas turned around to look at the mesa, neither one entirely convinced that the rock falling from the top of the cliff had been an accident. Unable to shake the uneasy feeling he felt, Wolf was also bothered by something else that had occurred back at the ruins and he decided to speak to his brother about it.

_"Hey, Fox?"_ he asked silently. _"When you went into that cavern, I 'called out' to you. Why didn't you answer?"_

_"Sorry about that."_ Uncas replied silently. _"I heard you, but I was so amazed by the cavern that I just didn't think to answer."_

_"Yeah, well you scared the shit out me back there, and the girls too. You've always answered before. Promise me you won't do that again, alright? If either one of us 'calls out' to the other, we answer. No ifs, ands or buts. Ok?"_

_"Your right, I shouldn't have ignored you. I'm sorry. I promise I won't do that again." _

As they walked past the sheep pen, Alice saw movement in the front window.

"Somebody just walked past the livingroom window!" she said, stopping in her tracks.

Uncas and Wolf each shot a quick look at the window before pulling their service revolvers out of their hip holsters and running the rest of the short distance to the house. As the sisters huddled together out near the empty sheep pen, Uncas ran up to the front door while Wolf ran around to the back. Both found the doors were still locked from the inside and Wolf waited while Uncas unlocked the front door and carefully entered. Not seeing anyone he went to the back door and let Wolf in. Together they thoroughly searched each room and closet from top to bottom but found no one. After getting the ok to enter, the girls joined their husbands inside.

"What exactly did you see?" Uncas asked Alice.

"I saw a woman walk past the window. She wore her hair in the Navajo style and she had a striped blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Funny though, she reminded me of Lady Hamilton."

"Who's Lady Hamilton?" asked Wolf.

"She was the ghost that haunted Papa's country estate back in Scotland. Everyone often saw her strolling about the place and she was perfectly harmless so nobody minded her being around. Even though you could see her in every detail, you could see right through her. That's what this woman was like. She had that same translucence about her."

"That must have been what you heard last night." Uncas said to Wolf. "Or should I say _who_ you heard."

"Ghosts need to use the bathroom?" asked Wolf.

"Well, she _was _about to put the kettle on. If you drink tea it's gotta go somewhere." said Uncas.

As Wolf gave his brother a disgusted look, Alice grabbed Cora hands and they both jumped up and down.

"We have a ghost!" Alice giggled.

"Oh, I've _missed_ having one around!" said Cora.

Uncas and Wolf both stared in disbelief at their wives and then looked at each other.

"Am I missing something here? You two aren't bothered by this?" asked Wolf.

"Certainly not!" said Cora.

"Then how come you got scared down in the cavern?" Uncas asked Alice.

"That was different. Except for the flashlights, it was pitch black down there and all of the rock formations made it even creepier. This isn't like that. Besides, if her being here was anything to be afraid of, we'd feel afraid and we don't! So there's nothing to worry about!" said Alice, who then chattered away with Cora about who their ghost could be and what to name her.

"I think I'm going to wash up and change out of these dusty clothes." said Wolf, shaking his head as he headed toward the bathroom.

"Don't forget to knock first before you open the door." said Uncas. "Our _'roommate'_ might be using it!"

* * *

That evening as the two couples went to bed, three men with binoculars watched from the top of the mesa as the lights in the house went out. One of the men was much older than the other two. Making their way down to their black pickup truck which was parked near the ruins, one of the younger men sat down in the open doorway of the white camper mounted on the truck bed.

"That bunch is going to be trouble." he said to the older man.

"Then we'll just have to _deal_ with them." was the reply.


	4. Chapter 4: Pieces of a Puzzle

**Chapter 4: Pieces of a Puzzle **

Pale moonlight dimly illuminated the bedroom and the watch on the nightstand gave four short beeps, indicating another hour had passed. Picking up the watch, Wolf saw it was two in the morning. It was about this time last night that he heard their 'invisible houseguest' walking around and he wondered if "Blanket Woman", as the sisters affectionately named her, was planning to make another visit, then realized he really didn't care.

He and Cora had gone to bed four hours ago and he had been lying awake ever since. Trying to lay still and not toss and turn and wake Cora, he could not shake the memory of the rock that fell and nearly hit the both of them on their hike the previous afternoon. Turning onto his side he looked at his sleeping wife curled up next to him and he brushed a few stray hairs off of her face. She meant everything in the world to him and today, if he hadn't looked up when he did, he could have lost her.

While it was possible the rock just happened to come loose and fall at that particular moment, it was also possible it had help from someone on top of the mesa. If that was the case, then heaven help whoever pushed the rock because Wolf would have no mercy on them if he caught them. Rolling onto his back and closing his eyes, he put his arm across his forehead and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out in a big sigh. He tried to relax but sleep would not come.

"Wolf?" asked Cora.

"I'm sorry babe, did I wake you?"

"It's ok." she said. "Can't you sleep?"

"No, I can't seem to relax and get comfortable."

"Would you like me to make you some hot tea? We have some Chamomile and your mom packed us some of her tea as well." offered Cora.

"Some of Mom's tea? Are you trying to put me to sleep or poison me?" he laughed, thinking of how notoriously bad his mother's herbal remedies taste and smell. "No thanks, I'm fine."

Cora snuggled up closer to him, placing a light kiss on his shoulder before laying her head there and gently caressed his chest as she stared at the window. She knew her husband well and she knew what was bothering him. Looking up at him, she could see the troubled look in his handsome face.

"Your thinking about the rock that fell, aren't you?" she asked him.

"Yeah. It was probably just a coincidence that it fell when it did, but it really shook me up. And working in law enforcement doesn't help. You see and hear so much stuff in that line of work; it's hard not to get suspicious about things like that.

"Well you're off duty now and we're in the middle of nowhere on wonderful vacation. Rocks do fall by themselves and nobody was hurt, so try not to think about it. I'm really enjoying myself and I want you to enjoy yourself too. Please Wolf? For me?"

Just then, Cora and Wolf heard the bathroom door clunk and footsteps pacing the livingroom before moving to the kitchen and rattling the teakettle. Wolf gave a low laugh and pulled Cora closer to him.

"Sounds like "Blanket Woman" is going to take you up on your offer for some tea. I only hope she doesn't drink Mom's stuff. If she's not dead now, she will be after drinking some of _that!_"

* * *

After finally getting a few hours of sleep, Wolf woke up at sunrise and quietly slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen. He was surprised to find Uncas already up, making coffee.

"Your up early." said Wolf.

"Yeah. I decided to take a shower before anyone else got up. I didn't sleep to well. Too much on my mind." Uncas replied.

"Same here. What do you think, Fox? Are we reading too much into all this?"

"I thought so at first, when you saw those guys in the parking lot. But now I don't know. After seeing a similar truck driving out by the mesa and the spots where someone was digging by the ruins, it does seem a little odd. And then that rock falling the way it did. I just keep wondering…" said Uncas, his words trailing off as he became lost in thought. Giving his brother time to think, Wolf got up to pour two mugs of coffee before sitting back down again.

"Wondering what?" Wolf finally asked as he handed a mug to Uncas.

"What if whoever was digging out there didn't want anyone snooping around. And what if we weren't supposed to find that cavern? Remember what you said when we were down there and we heard those voices? You said it didn't sound real. What did you mean by that?"

"I dunno. It sounded fake somehow. Not like anyone was actually speaking."

"Maybe it _wasn't_ real. Maybe the voices and the falling rock were intended to scare us away." said Uncas.

"I agree the voices could have been a scare tactic, but that rock could have killed somebody." said Wolf. "I dunno, maybe we _are _making something out of nothing. Like Cora said, rocks do fall by themselves and what we thought was voices _could_ have just been wind." Finishing his coffee, Wolf got up from the table.

"I don't know what to think anymore." he said to Uncas. "Listen, I'm gonna go take a shower too. Then after the girls get up and we have some breakfast, I think we should go to Tuba City and get some more water. Maybe it'll help take our minds off of all this."

* * *

Gradually coming awake, Alice rolled onto her side and reached out to her husband, but found his side of the bed empty. Opening her eyes and looking at the vacant place beside her, she vaguely remembered being half asleep when he said something about getting up to take a shower. Slipping out of bed, she put on a bathrobe and stepped out into the livingroom, meeting Cora who was coming out of her room as well. After a quick look around, the sisters each spotted their husbands.

Alice saw Uncas, naked except for the bath towel he wore around his waist, standing with his back to her in front of the kitchen sink. Cora looked out the open front door and saw Wolf standing outside on the front deck as he usually did, leaning on the railing and staring off toward Jackrabbit Mesa. Giving each other a conspiratory smile, the sisters each snuck up behind their unsuspecting husbands.

Coming up behind Uncas, Alice felt him relax as she kissed his back while reaching around him and caressing his bare chest. While one hand continued this task, the other reached into the slit in the towel and took hold of him, massaging up and down the length of him as he grew hard in her hand.

Cora did much the same to Wolf, coming up on him from behind and sliding one hand up inside his tee shirt as the other opened the fly on his jeans and slid inside. Achieving the same reaction from him that Alice was getting, Cora was thoroughly enjoying the feel of her husband as he hardened. When he turned around to face her, she tilted her head back and rose up to meet his lips. But instead of bringing his face down to hers, a look of surprise came over his features.

"Cora? he said.

Meanwhile back in the kitchen, Alice continued to work on her husband. As he stood with his back to her, enjoying her touch, he happened to glance down at the hand massaging his chest and caught sight of the bracelet Alice always wore on that wrist. Alice could feel her husband's relaxed body suddenly tense up.

"_Alice!_ What are you _doing_?" he asked in a surprised tone as he pulled her hand out of the towel and turned around.

"I'm _about_ to do _unspeakable_ things to my hot and sexy husband." she murmured seductively as she nuzzled her face against his chest, trying to get him back in the mood.

"Well that's nice, except I'm not _him_."

A collective scream broke the quiet of the morning as both women realized at the same moment they were intimately handling the wrong twin.

* * *

Sitting at the table during breakfast both women stared at their plates, unable to make eye contact with anyone and their faces still slightly pink, a noticeable downgrade in color from the crimson they had turned when they realized they'd mixed up their husbands.

Try as they might, Uncas and Wolf could not get the girls to stop feeling guilty about what happened. This was not the first time in six years of marriage that their wives had mixed them up and more than likely it would not be the last. Every time it happened, they told them it was an innocent mistake and an easy one to make and to not worry about it. People mixed the two of them up all the time….granted not in _this _particular manner.

"You _could_ have said something!" Cora said accusingly to Uncas.

"I _did_! As soon as I realized it was you and not Alice."

"Ok, here's a solution." said Wolf. "It's not your fault if you mix us up, it's an easy thing to do and Fox and I have always stopped you whenever we've seen it coming. But there's going to be times when he and I will not be aware of it, like this morning and the other times this has happened. So here's what we'll do. If we've got our backs to you, Fox and I promise to say your names right away so you can be sure you've got the right guy before anything has a chance to get started. But there's nothing we can do if we're sleeping so look at the tattoos on our chests first. I know after all these years you probably don't pay much attention to the details on them anymore but just remember, I've got a paw print in the center of the line and he's got a fox head. I know their small but their still noticeably different. Ok?"

Still embarrassed, Cora and Alice agreed and cleaned up the breakfast dishes before getting dressed for the trip to Tuba City. After putting on a pretty flowered sundress and doing her hair into a single braid, Alice knocked on the door of Cora's room and stood just inside the door.

"Cora? I'm sorry about what I did to Wolf. Uncas said he was going to take a shower and that's who I assumed was standing there wearing the towel."

"I know, Alice." said Cora. "I'm sorry too. I did the exact same thing! I saw Uncas outside on the deck and immediately thought he was Wolf because _he's_ always the one standing out there. I guess this comes along with the territory when sisters marry identical twins and live in the same house together!"

"Then we're ok?" asked Alice.

"Yeah, we're ok!" said Cora, giving her younger sister a big hug.

* * *

After a two hour drive to Tuba City, the two couples had just turned onto Main Street when a black pickup with a white camper on back passed their vehicle going in the opposite direction. Riding inside of the black truck was a young Navajo couple with two small children sitting between them.

"Ok, I guess there _is_ more than one truck like that out here." admitted Wolf.

Continuing along Main Street, they passed a fast food restaurant and spotted another black pickup with a camper in the restaurant's parking lot. Standing outside the back of the truck were the same two white men they saw at the supermarket two days ago, only this time they were talking to a middle aged white couple.

"Hey, there's those two guys again." said Uncas as he quickly pulled Annie's pickup into a parking lot across the street. Parking behind a van, the four got out and discreetly watched as another sales transaction occurred just like the last one, with the two men loading several boxes into the couples expensive SUV. Another envelope was exchanged and both parties drove away.

"You know, I have to admit that whatever those two men are doing _does_ look suspicious." said Cora.

"Do you really think they were the ones driving out by Jackrabbit Mesa?" asked Alice.

"It's hard to say. It was all too far away to be sure." said Uncas.

"Come on, let's get the water and get back to the house. I'm not comfortable leaving the camp unoccupied for too long." said Wolf.

After filling the water tank in back of the crew cab, they headed over to the supermarket to pick up a few things they needed before heading back. After loading the grocery bags into the truck, they were just about to get in to leave when a Navajo Tribal Police vehicle pulled up along side of them. A young officer got out and, after looking at the pickup, he nodded to Alice and Cora before speaking to the brothers.

"Morning! My name's Officer Dave Yazzie, but call me Dave. You must be the people watching Annie Tsosie's place? I recognize her truck! Annie told me the four of you were coming out here to housesit for her."

"That's right." said Uncas, who then introduced everyone.

"Don and I went to school together." said Dave. "He and I are like brothers. Wow, Annie wasn't kidding when she said you guys are twins! Are you all enjoying your stay here on the rez?"

"Yeah, we are. We're having a great time." replied Uncas.

"How are you getting along out there?"

"We're getting along just fine." said Wolf. "She's got a nice place."

"So everything's good? Nothing unusual happening out there? Maybe around Jackrabbit Mesa?" Dave probed.

"Like what?" Uncas cautiously asked.

Dave gave a quick look around the parking lot to make sure nobody could overhear them before continuing.

"Look, Annie told me you guys work with her son in the Sheriff's Department back in New Mexico, so I know you two would notice anything odd going on in the area. From one cop to another and strictly off the record, I think something fishy is going on out there. Trouble is I can't prove it."

"What do you mean by 'fishy'? asked Uncas.

"There have been several deaths out there over the past couple of years, including Don's father. The first was a history professor from some eastern university. He heard about the Anasazi ruins and came out here to see them. He was supposed to meet his wife in Flagstaff and when he didn't show up she reported him missing. We found him out at the ruins, dead in his sleeping bag. A toxicology report showed he died from an overdose of sleeping pills. His wife said that was bullshit, that he didn't use sleeping pills, but without any witness to say otherwise, it was ruled as an accidental overdose."

A man pushing a shopping cart walked past them and Dave waited until he was out of earshot before continuing.

"The next death was a middle aged Navajo man who went looking for some lost sheep. Same thing. He didn't come home and his wife called the police. We found him out by the ruins as well. Again, no sign of foul play and the autopsy ruled natural causes."

"But you don't believe that?" said Wolf.

"No, I don't. I was there when we found him and I'll never forget the look on his face. It was like he was terrified of something. The Medical Examiner said his facial expression was due to a seizure, but I had found a small bruised area on the back of his neck, like you get from a needle puncture. But the M.E. didn't bother doing any toxicology this time so if there was anything suspicious….any potential evidence went out the window."

Alice and Cora moved closer to their husbands, who each put an arm around his wife's shoulder as Dave continued.

"Then there was a couple of college students home for the summer. They were really nice kids and were engaged to be married. They went out there for a little romance and were never seen again. Annie's husband, Raymond, saw the couple near the mesa, so we know they went out there but there was no sign of them and the case went cold. But Raymond wouldn't let it go, so one day he went out to the mesa to look around for himself. We found his body the next day, crushed underneath a rock that fell from the top of the cliff."

Cora and Alice each gave a gasp as Wolf and Uncas shot a look to each other. Their reactions did not go unnoticed by Dave.

"You _have_ seen something out there, haven't you?" he asked. "Raymond's death was also ruled as accidental, but I don't believe it and neither does Don. We think somebody is behind all these deaths and my lieutenant agrees with us, but we need proof. A lot of the people, especially the elders, believe it's all the work of chindi and skinwalkers. We think that was just a convenient rumor somebody got started in order to keep people away from that area. I've been watching the mesa and the ruins every chance I get but so far I haven't seen anything unusual happening out there. Raymond was like a second father to me. If you've seen something, _anything,_ please tell me because I could sure use your help."

Wolf was hesitant to trust anyone at this point and he silently asked Uncas if his buddy, Don, had ever mentioned a friend named Dave Yazzie. Uncas said Don did tell him about his friend and even showed him a couple of photos of the two of them together. This was indeed Dave Yazzie and Don had told him to look Dave up while they were out here. Deciding to trust Dave, Uncas and Wolf told him about the two men in the black pickup and of seeing a similar truck driving around the mesa, the signs of digging around the ruins, the cavern and the falling rock.

"I _knew_ something was going on out there!" Dave said excitedly. "I've seen those two guys with the truck around town every now and again, but I don't know who they are. I can't just pull them over without having just cause and I've never been able to catch them selling anything. If I could, that would give me reason to check them out."

Seeing how frightened the women were, Dave didn't want to add to their fears but he felt he had to give Uncas and Wolf a warning. As a fellow cops, he knew the brothers would not just sit back and do nothing. He didn't want to pull them into this and put them all in danger but he needed their help. He had to find out if he was right about his suspicions and, if he was, to catch whoever was responsible before any more people ended up dead or missing.

"Listen, be careful out there ok? Don will kick my ass if anything happens to any of you. And you know Don, he's not a guy you want to get an ass kicking from! Here's my card. I want you to call me, day or night if you see anything unusual. I'm even putting my personal cell phone number on it. Cell coverage out here is tricky, so unfortunately you might have to look for a place to get a signal. And I might not be able to answer for the same reason, but don't give up, ok? If you can't reach me, leave a voicemail and I'll get right out there, or I'll send another officer if for some reason I can't make it."

"We'll be careful." said Wolf as Dave received a call on his radio about a domestic dispute.

"I gotta go. Remember now, _call me!_ And for god's sakes, _be careful_!"


	5. Chapter 5: The Hunters or the Hunted?

** Chapter 5: The Hunters or the Hunted?**

Sitting in the shade under the ramada at the camp, the two couples were quietly relaxing after having just finished lunch. Wolf was curled up on one of the lounge chairs with Cora who was flipping through a magazine, while Alice was stretched out on the other chair, reading a book. Uncas still sat at the picnic table, deep in thought while tapping his paper plate with one of the potato chips that remained on it from his lunch.

"That's got to be it!" Uncas said suddenly.

Wolf was just beginning to doze off when his brother's voice woke him up.

"What's got to be it?" he mumbled sleepily while nuzzling his face into Cora's hair.

"Remember when we were walking around the ruins and we found where someone was digging? There were potshards scattered all over the place. I'd be willing to bet that those two guys in the black pickup found Anasazi artifacts out there and are digging them up and selling them on the black market to private buyers."

"Isn't that illegal? asked Alice as she put down her book.

"Very!" said Wolf who was now fully awake. "And that would explain all the deaths and disappearances that have occurred out there. If you're making big bucks selling artifacts that you're committing a felony to get, you're not going to want anyone snooping around your private 'gold mine'."

"Exactly!" said Uncas. "I think while we're here we should keep an eye on the mesa and let Dave know about anything we see happening out there. We'll keep a note pad and pen on the table in the livingroom and log in entries of what we see, along with the date and time that we see it. Maybe a pattern will show and give Dave a better idea of when he can catch whoever's out there."

"Count me in!" said Alice.

"Me too! There are some binoculars in the house that we can use!" said Cora as she got up and sprinted inside to get them.

"Sounds like a plan then. And the log sheet is good idea too. With the four of us keeping our eyes open, we're bound to notice something." said Wolf, who then yawned. "But for now my eyes are gonna to be closed, so one of you is going to have to take the 'first watch." Taking a big stretch, he sprawled out on the lounge chair that he now had all to himself for an afternoon snooze.

* * *

Cora rolled over in bed and reached out to put her arm around Wolf. Feeling a mattress instead of her husband, she opened her eyes and found he was not there. Putting on her robe, she walked into the livingroom and although it was very dark, she could see the front door was open. Looking through the screen door, she saw Wolf out on the front deck, sitting on the cushioned wrought iron loveseat with his feet propped up on a little table and a blanket thrown over him. Carefully opening the screen door, she stepped outside and gently closed it so as not to wake Uncas and Alice. Wolf looked up and smiled as she came outside to join him. Sitting down, Cora slipped under the blanket with him and the two kissed. With his arm around her shoulder, she snuggled up close to him.

"Another sleepless night?" she quietly asked.

"Yeah. I knew I shouldn't have taken that big nap this afternoon. Do me a favor, babe? Next time I do that, don't let me sleep for more than thirty minutes or else I'll be up all night."

"Ohhh, I thought the nap would do you good since you didn't get much sleep last night, but it looks like it only made the problem worse. I promise I'll wake you up next time. What time is it by the way?"

Wolf looked at his watch. "It's about 11:00. Hey! What do you say we go for a little romantic midnight stroll in the desert and make love under the stars?"

Quietly slipping back into the house, they got dressed and grabbed one of the backpacks and both of the blankets from their last hike. While Cora put two fresh bottles of water into the backpack, Wolf handed her a zip front hooded sweatshirt similar to the one he was wearing.

"Better put this on. It's chilly out there tonight." he said.

The two walked for quite a while, talking and enjoying the cool evening air, the stars in the night sky and each other's company. Stopping to rest for a moment near a lone pinion tree, they took a drink from the water bottles they brought with them. Putting his arms around Cora, he pulled her close to him and kissed her while running his hand over one of her breasts. Deciding this was a good spot to make love, they made a bed on the ground out of the blankets. They were just about to lay down when movement caught Wolf's attention and he looked toward Jackrabbit Mesa.

"Look!" he whispered.

Turning to see what Wolf was looking at, Cora saw a pair of headlights driving along the front of the mesa towards the ruins. Once the headlights reached the ruins, they went out and were replaced by two flashlight beams.

"Oh my God!" Cora whispered back. "Do you think that's the men in the black pickup?"

"I don't know. It could be."

"We should go back to the house and log this in. What time is it now?" she asked.

"It's almost 12:30." said Wolf as he looked from the mesa back toward the house. "We must have been walking a long time. We're a lot closer to the ruins then we are to the house. In fact, we're practically there." After thinking for a moment, he picked up the backpack and put the water bottles they drank from back into it. Reaching out his hand, he helped Cora up.

"Come on. Let's sneak over there and see for ourselves what's going on."

"Won't that be dangerous? I mean we don't know who those people are. And what if they're not alone! Wolf, I don't think we should do this!"

"It'll be alright. There's hardly any moonlight and we're both wearing dark clothes so they won't see us and I've got my gun with me. Don't forget, I was raised as an Apache in the old days. I know how to get up close to someone without being seen. We'll be ok."

"Shouldn't you 'call out' to Uncas first and let him know what we're doing?" she asked.

"He won't hear me. The only time he and I can't hear each other is when we're asleep. Come on, let's go."

Leaving the blankets on the ground, the two quietly made their way over to where they saw the lights go out on the truck. Cora watched Wolf closely and followed his every move. Watching him slip through the darkness, she could see the Apache warrior coming out in her husband and except for the modern clothes he was wearing, she imagined this is what he must have looked like in the old days when he was sneaking up on his enemies.

Once they reached the pickup truck, both lay flat on the ground while Wolf studied the area to make sure no one else was around. When he was sure the coast was clear, he went over to the pickup and looked through the open window into the cab. Carefully shining his flashlight inside, he saw several beer cans in the drink holders and a crumbled fast food bag on the passenger floor. Other than that, there was nothing in sight to identify the owners. He was tempted to enter the truck and check the vehicle for the registration card but did not want to risk someone hearing the door being opened and closed. Turning off the flashlight, Wolf waved his hand, signaling Cora to join him.

"Let's go to that spot where someone's been digging." he whispered in her ear.

Staying close against the walls of the ruins, they made their way around to the dig site. Wolf again made sure the area was clear before he stepped out into the open. Remaining close to the wall, Cora set down the backpack and peered around the corner, waiting for Wolf to signal her over to him again. When he did, she joined him at a freshly dug hole. The two spent the next ten minutes checking the whole area.

"Someone's been doing more digging since we were here. There's a lot of freshly dug holes." he whispered. "Uncas was right. Whoever these people are, they're digging up Anasazi artifacts. Look, there's about a half a dozen pots over there by the wall, along with a bunch of plastic bags containing arrowheads and stone tools."

"I hear voices!" whispered Cora.

"Sounds like it's coming from where the cavern entrance is. Come on!"

"Wait!" Cora whispered again as she ran back to retrieve the backpack she'd left around the corner of the wall.

Arriving at the enclosed room, Wolf and Cora entered the tunnel which led to the caverns. Not daring to use a flashlight in case someone in the caverns would see the beam, he took Cora's hand and they slowly felt their way along in the pitch blackness. When they reached the drop off into the cavern, they very carefully descended down the steep decline so as not to make any noise.

Once inside the main cavern, they listened closely until they heard men's voices coming from a distant chamber. Risking the flashlight, Wolf shined the beam on the floor and the two quickly ran into a side chamber in the opposite direction of the voices.

Once inside, Wolf shined the light around the chamber and saw that it was somewhat narrow and long, eventually leading off into still another chamber. Feeling a tickle in his throat from a dry spot and not wanting to cough, he reached into the backpack Cora was carrying and pulled out one of the water bottles they'd drank from earlier. Taking a sip, he put it back into the pack and started to walk along the wall toward the next chamber.

Cora followed behind Wolf and noticed him stumble a couple of times. He stopped for a moment and shook his head before continuing but only walked a few more steps before he fell down to the ground and lay unmoving.

_"Wolf!" _ cried Cora in a loud whisper as she slipped off the backpack and quickly knelt down by his side. Picking up the flashlight he dropped, she propped it up on a rock and rolled her husband onto his back.

"Wolf! Wolf wake up! Can you hear me? _Wake up_!" she said, slapping his face and shaking his shoulders repeatedly but getting no response from him. "Oh god! Oh god! Wolf, please, _please_ wake up! _Please!_"

Not knowing what was wrong with her husband who was fine just a moment ago, Cora panicked and her fear caused her to forget all that she had learned about medicine from Dr. Phelps back in the old days. Frantically trying to check for his pulse, she was unable to locate it and her panic doubled. Finally giving up on finding the right spot for a pulse, she unzipped Wolf's jacket and unfastened several buttons on his shirt before laying her head on his chest.

"Oh thank god!" she said upon hearing his strong heartbeat. As she sat up, she could hear his steady breathing and she began to caress his cheek and stroke his hair.

"Wolf, baby what's wrong. What's happened to you? Why won't you wake up?" she whispered as she started to cry.

Trying to figure out what to do, Cora suddenly heard men's voices gradually getting louder and she quickly grabbed the flashlight and turned if off. The voices continued to get louder until she could tell by the sound that two men were in the main chamber. Reaching in the dark, she felt along Wolf's side until she located his gun in the hip holster he was wearing. Releasing the safety, she aimed the gun in the direction of the entrance to the main chamber and waited. Through the entrance she saw a faint light grow brighter in the main chamber as the voices came closer.

"…..gather up some more tonight. Then tomorrow we'll contact our next client and tell him the goods are ready." said the first man, his voice getting closer to Cora and Wolf.

"How much are we gonna get for this deal?" asked the second man.

"Two hundred and Fifty thousand! Dad said all we need are a few more transactions and we'll have enough money to leave the country and live like kings!" said first man, his voice pausing outside the entrance to Wolf and Cora's chamber.

"After four years of digging this shit up, I'll be happy if I never have to see another shovel again!" said second man as the sound of someone using a cigarette lighter could be heard.

"Hey! We'll have enough money to _hire_ people to do our digging for us from now on!"

"What about the 'problem' we gotta get rid of?" asked second man.

"Don't worry about that. As of tonight our problem is gonna be half the size it was yesterday. Those two that we saw snooping around the dig tonight are gonna be in for a _big _surprise when they get thirsty. I spiked each of the water bottles in their backpack with enough tranquilizers to kill a horse! When they guzzle down the rest of that water it'll be lights out forever! Leave it to a dumb broad to leave that backpack where they couldn't see it! If it wasn't for that pack, we wouldn't have even known they were there. Stupid bitch! Come on, let's load up and get the hell out of here!" said first man, his voice growing fainter as it moved off toward another chamber next to Cora and Wolf's.

Cora didn't' dare move until she was sure the men were gone. The impact of what the one man had said hit her like a ton of bricks. He had poisoned their water with high powered tranquilizers when she foolishly left their backpack behind at the dig site. _And Wolf had taken a drink of that water just before he passed out! _What if he dies because of it? Then she remembered that whatever happens to one twin always happens to the other, which means it will kill Uncas too! _And it will be all her fault!_

Setting down the gun, Cora felt for the flashlight and turned it back on but dimmed the light by placing the lamp up against the backpack. Leaning over Wolf, she noticed his breathing was shallower. Laying her head on his chest again, she thought his heartbeat didn't seem quite as strong as it was before. The tranquilizers were making him weaker. As total panic took over, she pulled out her cell phone to call Uncas and Alice but was unable to get a signal. She knew she could not drag Wolf out of the cavern and back to the house. And even if she could, those men were out there somewhere. She could go for help by herself, but she didn't dare to leave Wolf alone. What if those men came back and found him? If the tranquilizers didn't kill him, those two definitely would!

Taking his hand into hers, she noticed his was cool and she realized for the first time how cold it was in the cavern. Remembering the blankets they left under the pinion tree, she cursed herself for not bringing them. Unzipping her jacket, she laid down beside her husband, laying half on top of him and tried as best as she could to cover him with the jacket and her own body in an effort to try and keep him warm.

"This is all my fault! Oh god, Wolf I'm so sorry! Please don't die, baby. _Please don't die!"_


	6. Chapter 6: Night of the Fox

**Chapter 6: Night of the Fox**

Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! Clunk!

Alice sat straight up in bed. Listening in the dark, she heard the sound of someone opening and closing the bathroom door repeatedly, then realized it wasn't the bathroom door at all but Wolf and Cora's bedroom door. Reaching over to Uncas who was curled up on his side, she shook his shoulder to wake him. Getting no response, she got up and slowly opened their door a crack to peek outside. Wolf and Cora's door was closed and no one was in the livingroom or the kitchen. Shutting the door, she hurried back into bed as a shiver went down her spine.

"Uncas, wake up! _Wake up!_" she said, shaking his shoulder again. Still unable to rouse him, she tapped his face several times while calling his name. When he still continued sleeping, Alice started to get worried. Why couldn't she wake him? Even in a deep sleep, this would have woken him up by now. When violently shaking his shoulder again and again did nothing, she slapped his face hard, then again and again, and again. The forth slap produced a result.

_"Wha…..What?" _he said, sitting up with a start. Disoriented and breathing hard, he blinked his eyes while trying to focus on his surroundings. Looking at Alice, he saw she was upset. "What's the matter?"

"I couldn't wake you!" she said in a shaky voice. "I kept trying and you wouldn't wake up! You've never done that before!"

"Well I'm awake _now!_" mumbled Uncas as he rubbed his eyes, still feeling a bit groggy. "What did you get me up for anyway?"

"I heard a noise. Someone keeps slamming Wolf and Cora's bedroom door! I looked but I didn't see anyone out there."

"It's probably just 'Blanket Woman" making her nightly rounds again." Uncas said with a sigh as he threw himself back down onto the bed. "If that ghost wakes up Wolf I'd hate to be her. Go back to sleep. It's nothing to worry about."

Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! _BANG!_

This time Uncas shot straight up in the bed as not only the door to the next bedroom repeatedly slammed shut, but their bedroom door banged as well as though someone had kicked it hard from the other side.

"What the _hell_?" said Uncas. "What's gotten into _her_ tonight? She never makes _this _much noise?"

"It sounds like she's very upset about something." said Alice.

Getting out of bed, Uncas cautiously went out into the livingroom with a trembling Alice close behind him. Looking around, he was just about to check the bathroom when a long, slow creaking sound came from behind them. Turning around, they saw the door to Wolf and Cora's room slowly opening by itself. Looking through the doorway, Uncas saw the room was empty.

"Looks like 'Blanket Women' is trying to tell us Wolf and Cora are gone. Did you hear them get up?" he asked Alice, who shook her head no.

After looking out on the front deck and then out the back door toward the ramada, the two sat down on the livingroom sofa.

"Where are they?" she asked him.

"I don't know. There's no sign of them anywhere and both vehicles are outside so wherever they went, they went on foot. Normally they'd leave a note if they took off somewhere, but I can't find one." said Uncas.

"I was going to try calling them on my cell but there's no signal. Have you tried 'calling out' to Wolf?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, he's not answering. And that's strange after the way he chewed me out the other day when I didn't answer him. We both promised we would from now on no matter what. Unless he's asleep. That's the only time we can't hear each other. But that doesn't make any sense. If he wanted to sleep outside he'd sack out on the deck or under the ramada. He wouldn't leave the camp at night to do that."

"Do you think something happened to him? Maybe he's unconscious." said Alice, feeling a wave of worry joining the fear already building inside her.

"No. If he was I'd have somehow been knocked out too. And we'd both regain consciousness at the same time, which means he'd be able to answer me now. No, if something happened to him, it would have happened to me too and I'm fine."

"Well you weren't a few minutes ago when I couldn't wake you up."

"I was _asleep _and sleeping at the same time isn't something he and I do. There's no reason why I wouldn't wake up on my own without him. Unless….wait….you _really_ couldn't wake me up just now?"

"_No_, I _couldn't_. I had to shake and slap the hell out of you first. Uncas, you were _frightening_ me!"

_"Shit!" _ he said as he jumped up off the sofa and looked at the log book on the table. Not finding any entries listed, he went into Cora and Wolf's room. After a quick search, he turned to Alice who had followed him in.

"Cora's nightgown is on the bed and Wolf's watch, his gun and both their cell phones are gone. So is their backpack and the blankets from our hike. I'll bet he saw something out by the ruins and went to check it out and Cora went with him. Come on Pretty One, get dressed, we gotta go. _Hurry!_"

* * *

Using a flashlight, Uncas shined the light on the ground around the bottom step of the deck. It didn't take him long to locate Cora and Wolf's tracks and the direction they had gone confirmed his suspicions. Returning to the house, he strapped on his holster and made sure his handgun was fully loaded. He also put several extra clips in the ammunition pouches on the holster and grabbed a box of cartridges for Annie's rifle which was slung over his shoulder. Tucking the box of cartridges into his jacket pocket, he was soon joined by Alice who had made sure their backpack still had the first aid and snake bite kits in it before putting in several bottles of fresh water and the blanket Wolf had left on the deck. Following behind her husband, the two headed toward Jackrabbit Mesa.

"Do you really think that's where they went?" she asked.

"That's the direction their tracks are heading. Stay right behind me. I'm only going to turn on the flashlight every so often to check the trail, so we're going to be walking in the dark. I don't want to take a chance on someone seeing the light."

"Back at the house, it seemed like you remembered something. What was it?" she asked him.

"I was thinking of the time Wolf and I had those bad head colds and I took some of that nighttime cold medicine that makes you sleep. That stuff knocked me out for a good twelve hours and even though he didn't take any, it knocked Wolf out for a while too. The same thing happened again the next time we got sick. That's the only time that one of us being asleep will have somewhat of an affect on the other, when there's some kind of medication involved." said Uncas.

"But Wolf hates to take any kind of medicine unless he absolutely has to. And he certainly wouldn't take any drugs to make him sleep if he went out into the desert with Cora."

"Not on his own he wouldn't."

* * *

The waning light of the moon provided just enough light for Uncas to make out a lone pinion tree up ahead. Something on the ground near the tree caught his attention and he headed over to see what it was. As they got closer to the tree, he could see a distinctly rectangular shape on the ground. Reaching down, he felt the dark shape and realized it was a blanket. Using his jacket to shield the beam of the flashlight, he turned it on and recognized the blankets as the ones from the hike.

"Looks like they made a bed here, but it doesn't seem like anyone laid on it." he told Alice.

"Why would they make a bed if they saw somebody at the ruins and came to check it out? And if Wolf did see something out here why didn't he log it in before they left?"

"I don't know, maybe he….._"_ Uncas stopped in mid sentence as he pulled Alice down onto the blanket with him. Putting his finger to his lips, he nodded his head toward the mesa.

Listening closely, they both heard faint voices coming from the direction of the ruins. When the voices faded, Uncas removed the rifle from his shoulder and held it ready while he whispered to Alice to take the blankets and follow him. Intending to use the base of the mesa as cover by following it over to the ruins, they made a run for the cliff base.

Just before they reached it, Uncas saw the black pickup with the camper. Carefully approaching the vehicle, he took a quick peek inside of the cab before trying the back door on the camper. Finding it locked, he and Alice slowly crept over to the ruins, keeping as close to the mesa as they could.

At the ruins, they once again heard the voices of two men up ahead and cautiously made their way toward the sound. Seeing the glow of a light, the couple ducked into one of the rooms in the ruins. Looking through what had once been a small window, they saw a man on the other side filling up a box with an assortment of bubble wrapped bundles.

A second man walked out of one of the enclosed rooms in the ruins carrying another box and suggested they bring the pickup over so they could load the rest directly into it from the cavern. Taking the boxes and the lantern with them, the men left together to get the truck.

Waiting until the men were out of sight, Uncas signaled Alice to follow him and, crouching, they sprinted into the enclosed room the second man had come out of. Another lantern illuminated the room and they saw a large opening had been busted through the back wall leading to another passage into the caverns. This passage was much larger than the one they'd discovered on their previous outing and it, too, was lined with lanterns. Shouldering the rifle again and drawing his handgun, Uncas led Alice through the passage, stopping when they reached the point where it dropped off down another steep slope into the cavern.

"Look at this! They built stairs over the slope." whispered Uncas.

"Whoever those men are, between the stairs and the lanterns, they went to a lot of trouble to make this place assessable." Alice whispered back.

"I'd like to know what's in those boxes they're taking out of here. Come on!" Taking Alice's hand, Uncas led her down the stairs into a small chamber. It was here that the trail of lanterns ended and the two darted out through an opening into the darkness of the main chamber of the caverns.

Crouched down just to the left of the opening, they listened for more voices. When he was sure there was no one else in the cavern, Uncas turned on the flashlight. Shining the light on the floor outside the opening, he saw a partial trail of boot tracks left by the red dirt from around the ruins that had fallen off the boots of the men as they walked. Giving a general indication of the direction the men were going, he was tempted to try and follow the tracks, but he knew they would not lead him far and the men would soon be returning.

Deciding to wait in the next chamber over, as this would give him a clear view of where the men were going, Uncas silently gestured for Alice to follow him. Shining the flashlight through the entrance, they had just started to enter when Uncas heard the faint but familiar click of a safety lock being released on a gun.

_"Get down!" _he said to Alice in a sharp whisper. As they threw themselves to the floor, Uncas pointed the flashlight and his gun toward the direction he'd heard the click and was surprised to see Cora pointing a gun back at him.

_"Cora, its Uncas! Put the gun down!"_ he said, holding the flashlight in a way that illuminated the area for her to see them.

"Uncas?" Cora replied, looking visibly shaken. _"Uncas! Alice!" _she cried, putting down the gun and throwing herself on them as they got up off the floor.

"Where's Wolf" asked Uncas before spotting his brother lying on the floor behind Cora.

"What happened?" he asked as he went over and knelt down next to him.

"It's all my fault!" said Cora as Alice held her trembling sister. "I left our backpack on the ground where we couldn't see it and one of those men put tranquilizers in our water bottles. He told the other man he'd put enough in there to kill whoever drank from them….and Wolf _did!"_

"Oh my god!" said Alice.

"How much did he drink?" asked Uncas.

"He only took a little sip. But he passed out almost immediately after that." said Cora.

"How long has he been out?" Uncas asked as he checked his brother's pulse and breathing.

"Um, abou…about an hour….m…maybe two? I remember when we got here Wolf said it was 12:30. He drank the water not long after that."

"Well it's almost 2:30 now. That's about two hours give or take." said Uncas as Alice and Cora knelt down beside Wolf.

"We have to get Wolf out of here and get him to a hospital! After he passed out his breathing became shallower and his heartbeat seemed different." said Cora as she stroked her husband's hair.

"That's because he went into a deep drug induced sleep. He'll be alright. His pulse is strong and his breathing is steady. Don't worry Cora, he gonna be fine." said Uncas, putting a reassuring hand on her back. "If he was in any danger at all, I'd be in bad shape right now too and I'm not. The drug's already had all of the effect on him that it's going to. He just needs to sleep it off."

"You were right about why I had so much trouble waking you up." Alice said to Uncas as she covered Wolf with two of the blankets and made a pillow for his head out of the third.

"Yeah. I guess he and I are _both_ damn lucky he didn't take a bigger drink. If he had, it would have killed him and he'd have taken me with him."

* * *

Hearing the two men returning to the caverns, Uncas and Cora quickly turned off the flashlights. As they walked through the main chamber, Uncas heard one of the men say to the other they needed to bring two more loads after this one up to the surface and then they'd be finished for the night. Hearing their plans, Uncas came up with one of his own. Once he was sure the men were out of ear shot, he informed the sisters of his intentions.

"Sounds like their using this cavern as a storage area. When they come down here again I'm going to follow them. I want to see what their smuggling out of here and where they're keeping it."

"No Uncas, it's too dangerous!" said Alice.

"Please don't! I agree with Alice." said Cora. "It's too dangerous. Let's just stay here until they're finished and then we can leave. We'll tell Dave Yazzie all we know and let him deal with it."

"That's just it. Dave said he needs solid proof of what's going on out here before he can do anything. I'm going to get him some." said Uncas as he gave Alice the rifle and box of cartridges. "Here, take this. If those two men come in here, use it!"

"How will I know it's not you?" asked Alice.

"I'll say something in Mohican to let you know it's me. You're pretty fluent now. If you don't hear me say anything and someone just walks in here, shine the flashlight in their eyes. It'll blind them and you'll be able to see who it is."

"What if they catch you?"

"They won't catch me. I'm a fox, remember? We're pretty wily critters! We can even outsmart a wolf….. just don't tell _him_ I said that." Uncas said with a smile and a nod toward his brother.

* * *

Returning for another load, the two men walked across the main chamber, guided by the light from the headlamps they were wearing. Uncas was waiting for them behind a nearby stalagmite. He watched as the men made their way across the cavern and entered another chamber on the opposite side. Following the light from their headlamps, he kept enough of a distance from them so they would not see the muted beam from his flashlight. Cora had tied a bandana around it to dim the light and he was glad she remembered Wolf had put the bandana into their backpack.

Standing at the entrance to the chamber the men had entered, Uncas saw the glow of lanterns coming from yet another chamber attached to this one. The shadows of the men could be seen moving about on the wall and he could hear the sound of boxes being shifted around. Not wanting to risk being seen, he decided to remain where he was until the men left. This time hiding behind a rock formation, Uncas waited and his patience was soon rewarded when the men reentered the main cavern and headed toward the small chamber with the staircase.

After they were out of sight, Uncas darted into the storage area. The light from the lanterns illuminated the chamber and he saw numerous boxes filled with plastic bags and bubble wrapped items. Looking through several boxes, he found they contained a variety of Anasazi pottery and various other artifacts, along with items that were clearly of a more recent period including silver and turquoise jewelry.

Taking a couple of small bags from the bottom of one of the boxes and tucking them into the pocket of his jacket, he was about to leave when he heard the voices of the men returning. Ducking into a fissure in the wall, he found it led to yet another chamber.

As he looked around with the flashlight, he heard a scraping sound as his shoulder bumped against something on top of a ledge in the rock and he barely managed to catch a small rectangular object before it fell to the floor. Standing motionless until he was sure the men hadn't heard anything, he looked at the object and saw it was a tape recorder.

Moving to the far side of the chamber, Uncas turned the volume to its lowest setting and played the recorder, holding it to his ear and slowly increasing the volume until he could hear it. Turning off the devise, he gave a slight smile as he looked toward the direction of the men in the storage chamber and back to the recorder.

_"Looks like I just found the source of the 'ghost voices'."_ he thought to himself. Tucking the tape recorder into the other jacket pocket, he began to look for another way out of the chamber when he heard the sound of a gunshot echoing through the caverns.


	7. Chapter 7: Tragedy in the Caverns

**Chapter 7: Tragedy in the Caverns**

Sitting next to Wolf, Alice and Cora listened to the stillness of the main cavern, waiting to hear Uncas returning to them. Holding Wolf's hand on her lap, Cora held the flashlight with her other hand, ready to turn it on and shine it at someone should they enter their chamber unannounced. Alice sat with the rifle, remembering all the shooting lessons Uncas had given her. She hoped she would not have to use the weapon, but if she did she would be ready.

Their focus on keeping watch was broken by the sound of Wolf giving a deep sigh. Cora immediately turned on the flashlight in time to see her husband turning his head from side to side. Once again muting the flashlight beam against the backpack, she tried to help bring him around while Alice did her best to stay focused on keeping watch, but she could not help but turn her attention now and again to Wolf and Cora.

"Wolf! Wake up! Wake up baby, please." Cora whispered into Wolf's ear as she slapped his face and shook his shoulders much as Alice had done earlier to Uncas.

"Come on Wolf, wake up!" said Alice in a loud whisper, reaching over to shake his arm.

It took several long minutes before Wolf finally opened his eyes only to close them again, his head falling to the side.

"No, no, you need to wake up! Come on sweetheart, please, open your eyes for me. You need to wake up!" Cora pleaded as she continued to slap him.

Turning his head toward the sound of Cora's voice, his eyes opened again and he looked at her, trying to focus his blurry vision on her face.

"Cora?" he mumbled weakly, blinking in an attempt to focus. "Wha happen….whadda my….doin on…on the groun…?."

"It's ok! You're going to be alright sweetheart! Just relax, everything's fine." she said as she placed one hand on his chest while gently rubbing the other hand across his face where she'd been slapping him.

After ten minutes of drifting in and out, Wolf finally managed to shake off most of the effects caused by the drug. Confused as to what happened to him and to see Alice there, the sisters filled him in on how the men drugged the water with the intention of killing them and of how Uncas and Alice followed them to the cavern. They also told him that Uncas went after the two men.

"I've got to go find him. Those two bastards are dangerous, he's gonna need help." said Wolf. Trying to push himself into a sitting position, his arm gave out from under him and he fell back down, his head landing on the blanket pillow.

"Wolf don't, your still too weak." said Cora, placing her hands on his shoulders to prevent him from trying to get up again. "You need to rest."

"Apparently that's what I've been doing all night!" he said with a little laugh, giving in to the fact that he was, indeed, too weak to get up. Seeing the worried look on his wife's face, he smiled and raised his hand to gently caress her cheek. "Hey, come on now. I'm ok. I just need a few more minutes to shake this off."

"Oh Wolf, I'm so sorry." said Cora, taking hold of the hand he had on her cheek as her tears spilled over it. "This is all my fault. I should never have taken off the backpack. Those men would never have known we were there if I hadn't left it lying where I did. And they wouldn't have drugged the water. You could have died because of me. And Uncas too!"

"But we _didn't _die! We're both fine! You had no way of knowing this would happen. I saw that you didn't have the backpack when you came over to me and I let it go because I didn't think anything of it either. If anything it's _my_ fault for bringing you out here in the first place. We should have gone back to the camp like you suggested."

Pulling Cora's hand down to his face, he placed a kiss on it. "Baby, I'm sorry I put you through this. You must have been so scared, sitting here in the dark with me out cold and with those men out there. I'm just glad you didn't take a drink of that water too!"

Suddenly a gunshot rang out, causing Wolf, Cora and Alice to jump.

_"Uncas!" _said Alice in a loud whisper.

"Hold on." said Wolf, who was finally able to sit up. _"Fox, what's going on out there?" _he 'called out' to his brother.

_"Hey sleeping beauty, it's about time you woke up!" _said Uncas, who was still in the chamber next to the storage area.

"He's ok." Wolf told a relieved Alice before going back to his brother. _"What's happening and where are you?"_

_"I'm on the other side of the main cavern. Those two guys with the black pickup are using a big chamber for storage. I'm in a room next to it. I was right, they're digging up artifacts from the ruins and storing them down here until they're ready to sell them. They got a ton of stuff here and some of it's not that old. I'll bet they're stealing pots and jewelry from other places as well."_

_"What was the shooting about?"_

_"One of the guys thought he saw somebody standing in the entrance way and he took a shot at them. He said it looked like an Anasazi ghost. He's pretty spooked. The other guy is having a hard time calming him down."_

_"I'm coming over there. How do I find you?"_

_"You don't! Stay there with the girls. So far the only way in or out of this room is through a crack in the wall of the storage area and those guys are still in there. I'm gonna see if I can find another way out and come back to where you are."_

* * *

Shining the muted beam of his flashlight around the chamber, Uncas looked for another opening but it appeared the only one was the fissure he'd entered through. He was about to give up and look for a place to sit down and wait for the men to leave when he felt a breeze coming from above.

Pointing the light toward the ceiling, he saw a dark recess near the top of the wall. The recess was a good twenty feet up, but several large rocks and stalagmites were near enough to the wall underneath it to provide a way for him to climb up there.

Moving carefully so as not to make any noise, Uncas climbed as far up the rock formations as he could. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he stretched as far as he could reach and just barely managed to grab the edge of the recess with one hand. Taking a little jump, he grabbed the edge with his other hand and pulled himself up with all of his might, heaving himself into the recess.

Taking a few moments to catch his breath, he shined the flashlight around the recess and saw that it opened into the main cavern. Crawling over to the opening, he looked down and saw the floor of the cavern was higher in this area, but that it would still be about a fourteen foot drop.

Swinging his legs over the edge, he sat for a moment and listened to make sure the coast was clear before dropping down to the cavern floor. Landing hard, Uncas felt a sharp pain shoot through his right ankle and he fell over onto the floor, holding his leg.

* * *

Back in the other chamber, Wolf finally felt his strength return. Taking his handgun back from Cora, he walked around the room for a bit to make sure he was steady. Intending to look out into the main chamber, he had just taken a step toward the entrance when he felt a sharp pain shoot through his leg and he fell down into a sitting position.

_"Wolf!"_ cried Cora and Alice as they both rushed over to him.

"Damn it Fox! What the hell did you do?" he said out loud as he held his ankle and rubbed it.

"What happened?" asked an anxious Alice. "Is he alright?"

_"Sorry about that Wolf."_ Uncas 'called' to his brother. _"I had to jump down to the cavern floor and I twisted my ankle a little in the process. Are you ok?"_

_"Yeah, I'm ok. But you won't be when I get my hands on you." _Wolf silently replied back as he stood up again and tested his leg to see if it would hold him.

"He's ok Alice. He just twisted his ankle a bit. I felt the pain and it made me fall and twist mine. This is the one part about being a twin that I hate!"

"I swear you two are going to be the death of Cora and I." said Alice as she sat back while shaking her head. "Where is he?"

"I don't know. Let me find out." he said. _"Hey Fox, where are you?"_ he silently asked.

_"I'm over on the opposite side of the main chamber, to the left of where you are."_ was the reply. _"I'm on my way back over there now."_

Wolf and the sisters looked out into the main cavern and could make out Uncas in the muted light of his flashlight as he weaved his way around the various rocks and stalagmites. Seeing he was limping slightly, Wolf went out to help him.

Cora and Alice watched as Wolf, who also had a slight limp, made his way over to Uncas. Putting an arm around each others shoulder, the brothers had just started walking when a shot rang out behind them, ricocheting off of a nearby rock. Ducking down, they saw the two men emerging from the storage area into the main cavern, shining a high powered flashlight on them.

_"Get those two bastards!"_ one of the men shouted to the other as they both opened fire on the twins.

Cora and Alice stood paralyzed with fear as they saw their husbands ducking and weaving through a hail of bullets as they ran to take cover behind a large rock formation. Just as they reached it, the women watched in horror as both brothers cried out in pain before falling behind the rock.

While one of the men stayed behind to provide cover for his partner, the second man ran over to where the brothers fell. Crouching down on the opposite side of the large rock, he held his gun ready and jumped around to the other side. Looking down at the floor, he fired several more rounds and appeared to either kick or push something several times with his foot before turning back to the other man.

"They're dead!" he said.


	8. Chapter 8: From Wives to Widows

**Chapter 8: From Wives to Widows**

Watching their husbands trying to escape the bullets being fired from the gunmen's automatic weapons, Cora and Alice both clamped a hand over their mouths to keep from screaming when Uncas and Wolf fell down out of sight behind the large rock. Having heard the brothers cry out in pain, they knew their men had been shot and both women instinctively wanted to run over to them, but they fought back the urge and remained motionless and silent, knowing that if they made even the slightest movement or sound they'd be discovered.

Feeling like they were living in a nightmare, the two women watched helplessly as that nightmare became even worse. One of the gunmen was making his way over to where Uncas and Wolf had fallen and Cora wished she still had Wolf's gun, at the same time being glad that he had taken it back. She kept waiting for him and Uncas to return fire on their attackers and she tried not to think about why they were not. _"They're ok, they're just waiting for the right moment."_ she kept telling herself over and over again. But deep down inside she knew they were not ok.

Watching the gunman moving closer to the rock her husband was behind, Alice suddenly remembered the rifle Uncas had given her. Trying to think of where she had left it, she remembered setting it down when Wolf fell and she had run over to help him. She was tempted to try and make her way into the pitch black chamber to retrieve the rifle, but as Wolf had taken the second flashlight with him, she knew it would be foolish to try and find it in the dark. It would take too long and there was too much risk that she would make noise.

Seeing the gunman crouch down on the other side of the rock, the sisters felt paralyzed as he jumped around the backside of the rock and opened fire several more times before moving as though he were kicking something and announcing to his partner that 'they're dead'.

The impact of those two words hit the women full force and both screamed automatically at the top of their lungs. Hearing the screams, the first man quickly flashed his light over toward the sound and saw Alice and Cora in the chamber opening.

"Mark! Over there! Get 'em!" he shouted to the second man who was still standing by the rock.

As soon as the light flashed on them, the sisters threw themselves back into the chamber and, using the residual light shining through the opening from the gunmen's flashlights, they tried to run toward the other opening at the far end. Stumbling and falling in the dark over rocks and uneven ground, Cora ran straight into a stalagmite jutting out of the floor. The impact knocked her backward onto Alice and the two fell hard to the floor.

The wind momentarily knocked out of her, Alice tried to get back up as did Cora who was slightly dazed. Before either could get on their feet, the chamber was suddenly flooded with light as the two men entered it. Shielding their eyes from the blinding light shining on them, the sisters huddled together.

"Well well, what do we have here?" said Mark as he pointed his gun at Alice. "Looks like those two dead redskins managed to catch themselves a couple of mighty fine looking chicks. See, I don't get it Brandon. Why can't we get ourselves a couple of hot numbers like these two? I mean, what did those Indians have that we don't have?"

_"MURDERERS! YOU KILLED OUR HUSBANDS!" _screamed Cora.

"That's right darling!" said Brandon. "But don't either of you worry your pretty little heads about that. You'll both be seeing your husbands again _real _soon. Come on Mark, let's waste these two bitches and get the hell out of here. Dad'll be waiting for us at the barn and we're already late because of all this."

"Aw Brandon, come on, can't we have a little fun with them first? Come on, man! You take the brunette and I'll take the blonde. Let's show them what it's like to have a _real_ man fuck 'em!"

"No! As much as I'd like to and _believe me_ I would, we gotta get back. Dad doesn't like to be kept waiting and you know what the old man is like when he gets pissed. No pussy's worth _that_!" said Brandon, his gun aimed at Cora.

"Yeah. Too bad! It sure would have been fun. Ok ladies, time to join your men in the 'happy hunting grounds'." said Mark.

Before either man had a chance to pull the trigger, a strange mist rapidly appeared in front of Alice and Cora and the two gunmen found themselves looking face to face with a translucent Navajo woman dressed in the old style and wrapped in a blanket. She glared at the two men with an unwavering stare, her face clearly enraged. Pulling an arm out from under the blanket, she raised it palm facing outward toward the men. More mist appeared on either side of her as she was joined by several Anasazi warriors, each with his arm back, ready to throw the spears they were holding.

Both of the gunmen were momentarily frozen in terror as they looked in disbelief at the spectral figures standing before them. Brandon's eyes were wide as saucers and his body shook uncontrollably. Mark's mouth opened and closed with inaudible screams as he dropped his flashlight on the floor. Suddenly finding the ability to move and speak, the two men each let out a shriek as they ran as fast as they could out of the chamber and to the stairs leading out of the caverns.

Once outside, they raced to the pickup truck and jumped in. Brandon fumbled with the keys, dropping them several times before he managed to get the right one into the ignition. Turning the key, the engine only made a clicking sound. Again and again he desperately tried to start the truck with no luck. Getting out of the pickup, the men were just about to raise the hood when the stillness of the night was broken by the sound of a wolf howling followed by the barking of a fox.

Hearing a loud snap behind them, the men felt their blood run cold as they turned around and saw the grey images of Wolf and Uncas standing near the far edge of the ruins, then disappearing right before their eyes.

"Did you see that? _Did you see that?_" cried Mark. Whipping his head around to and fro, his eyes were wide with fright and his teeth began to chatter as he looked around at the surrounding darkness.

"Yeah, yeah I saw it! I thought you said they were dead? _You told me they were dead!_" said Brandon, grabbing his younger brother by the collar.

"They _are_! Jeez man, _nobody_ could have survived that! Oh shit, _shit! _Before we started shooting, I heard them call each other wolf and fox. Did you hear those animals just now? _That was a wolf and a fox we heard howling_! It's them_! It's them,_ I tell you! _They've come back to get us!_" cried Mark, who was beginning to come completely undone.

"Alright, calm down! Th…there's got to be a logical explanation for what's happened!" said Brandon as he ran his fingers through his hair. He, himself was scared out of his wits as well and was trying desperately to keep it together.

"Oh _yeah?_ Well how do you explain what we saw in the cavern just now, huh? Why do you think we made that tape of the spooky voices and spread all those rumors about ghosts out here? _Because we've seen them, that's why!_ We've seen them _plenty_ of times! This place _is_ haunted!_ You know it and I know it!"_ Mark screamed at his brother.

Before Brandon could respond, Mark jumped and cursed as he pointed toward the same area of the ruins where they had just seen the dead twins, his arm shaking violently.

_"Oh shit, LOOK!"_ he screamed.

Looking toward where Mark was pointing, Brandon turned just in time to see the ghostly images of Uncas and Wolf, this time closer than before, standing side by side. Visible only from the waist up for only a split second, they vanished in the blink of an eye.

Giving a cry of pure fright, Brandon nearly fell down himself as he caught Mark, whose knees had buckled.

Hearing a pattering sound, he looked down and saw that he had uncontrollably wet his pants, the warm stream running down his pant leg. He found himself being spun around as Mark, who had a death grip on Brandon's sleeves, ran behind him.

"They're coming to get us! I told you man, I told you, those two Indians we killed are coming to ge….!"

The words froze in Mark's throat as his mouth dropped open and his eyes grew even wider than fear had already made them as he looked over Brandon's shoulder. Seeing his brother's expression, Brandon slowly turned around and a look of sheer horror came over his features.

* * *

Driving his patrol SUV toward Jackrabbit Mesa over the rough desert terrain, Officer Dave Yazzie had a feeling tonight would be his lucky night. For several years now he knew that some sort of illegal activity was taking place out by the old Anasazi ruins and he had spent many a fruitless night sitting in the dark hoping to see something that would shed some light on the deaths that had occurred out there. He also had a hunch that whatever might be going on was tied to a rash of jewelry and pottery thefts from the Shelter Rock Trading Post.

Coming around the base of the mesa and seeing the ruins up ahead, Dave slammed on the brakes, kicking up a cloud of dust behind him. Through the darkness he could see a section of the ruins that was illuminated with light coming from within. Calling in his location over the radio and requesting backup, he quietly exited his vehicle and drew his sidearm as he carefully made his way over toward the ruins.

As he got closer, he could make out the silhouettes of two men against the light. Hearing the men shouting at each other but still too far away to make out what they were saying, their erratic movements and raised voices led him to believe that he might only have a couple of partying drunks on his hands instead of the suspected criminals he'd originally thought them to be.

Slowly advancing closer, he broke into a flat out run when the two men each let go with a bloodcurdling scream.

* * *

Hugging each other tightly with their eyes closed, Alice and Cora waited for the gunshots that would end their lives. When the shots did not immediately come, they wondered what was taking so long. These men obviously intended to kill them. Why didn't they just get it over with?

Hearing the men scream, both sisters looked up in time to see them running out of the cavern as though their lives depended on it. The women remained where they were, afraid to move and in a state of shock and denial from having witnessed the murder of their husbands. They had not seen the ghosts.

"I don't understand?" said Cora. "Why didn't they shoot?"

"I don't know." said Alice, casually picking up the dropped flashlight as it rolled over to them. "They were ready to kill us, just like they did…..oh god….._UNCAS!"_

Jolted back to reality by the memory of the shooting, Alice and Cora ran out of the chamber into the main cavern, stopping short as they reached the large rock that their husbands had fallen behind. Afraid to see what was behind the rock, they stood there for moment before they took hold of each other's hand and stepped around behind the boulder.

About a dozen drops of blood speckled the cavern floor in front of them and a smeared bloody handprint was on the backside of the rock. Just beyond the drops of blood was a large hole in the floor and the dirt leading up to the hole was scuffed, as though something had fallen or been pushed into it.

Falling to their knees before the hole, Alice and Cora each shouted their husband's names down into the dark abyss, listening closely for any type of sound that would indicate their men were still alive. Not hearing anything, Cora took the flashlight from Alice and shined the beam into the hole as they shouted Uncas and Wolf's names again several more times, their voices echoing down into the seemingly endless blackness.

"I don't see the bottom. I can't see the bottom. It's too deep. Oh god! Wolf, no, no, no, _noooooooo!_" said Cora, breaking down at the realization that her beloved Wolf was gone.

A flood of memories rushed over her as she recalled the first night they spent together in the cave back in the old days in 1757. How handsome he looked in his traditional Apache clothing and she remembered the feel of his kisses and the touch of his hands on her body as they lay together behind the bushes at the cave entrance. How ironic it was that their relationship together began and ended in a cave. Never again would she see his beautiful face and never again would she be able to run her hands over the hard muscles of his body. Never again would she feel him moving inside of her as they made love. How she would miss his wonderful sense of humor as he and Uncas would good naturedly tease Duncan. And how she would miss seeing him playing with their children and tenderly tucking them in at night after he chased the monsters out from under their beds.

Her body shook violently from the force of her crying and she leaned over to embrace Alice, who sat next to her stiff as a board. Looking at her sister, Cora's tears subsided when she saw the vacant expression on Alice's face and the emptiness in her eyes as she stared into the blackness of the hole.

"Why didn't those men shoot me so that I could be with him?" said Alice in a flat tone that was void of emotion. "He was my whole life. I just want to be with him again. I can't live in a world that he's not part of. And I won't."

Slowly, Alice put a hand down on the floor as she slid her legs out from under her and dangled them over the edge of the hole.

_"Alice, no!" _screamed Cora, pushing her sister backwards and throwing herself on top of her as she realized what she was about to do. "_You can't do this!_ He wouldn't want you to! _He'd want you to live! _ Remember how he nearly gave his own life to save you back in the old days when the Hurons captured us? He wouldn't want you to kill yourself! He'd want you to live and to raise his children. Lila and Robbie are both a part of Uncas and they're going to need you now, more than ever before. You're all they have left! You can't make them orphans. Uncas would _never_ forgive you for that!"

Lying on top of Alice, Cora could feel her sister's breathing getting faster and she saw her bottom lip began to tremble as tears ran out of the corners of her eyes and into her hair. Finally breaking down, Alice cried uncontrollably as wracking sobs shook her entire body. Reaching out to Cora, they both sat up and embraced each other, rocking back and forth as they shared an aching loneliness that nothing could relieve.

Finally, exhausted from crying they sat back against the large rock, lost in their own thoughts and memories. Absentmindedly Cora shined the flashlight on the bloody hand print on the rock.

"I wonder whose blood this is?" she numbly asked as she reached out and gently touched it.

"I don't know." said Alice, he voice cracking as she dipped her finger into one of the larger drops of blood on the floor. Raising her hand in front of her face, she rubbed the blood between two fingers, feeling not only the blood but the man it came from. As she touched the blood, she felt close to Uncas again and she wished she could hold onto the blood and the feeling it gave her forever. Then it occurred to her that the blood might very well be Wolf's and she suddenly remembered a morning just a few short days ago when she mistook him for her husband. The memory of touching Wolf's body brought with it the realization that he was gone too and a new flood of pain engulfed her.

"We're widows." she said, announcing the fact out loud for the first time.

Crawling over to the hole and looking down into it, Cora spoke to Wolf.

"I don't want to leave you, Wolf. Dear god, I don't want to leave you down there. I just want to stay here with you, but I know I can't. Alice and I are going to have to go soon. But we'll be back. I promise! We'll be back and we'll bring help with us and they'll get you and Uncas out of there so that Alice and I can bring you both home."

Blowing a kiss down into the hole, Cora fought back a new wave of tears. "I love you! I'll always love you."

"Are you two ok?" a voice behind them asked.


	9. Chapter 9: Shadows of the Past

**Chapter 9: Shadows of the Past**

Hearing a voice behind them and seeing a flashlight beam shining on them once again, Alice and Cora sat paralyzed for several seconds in front of the hole behind the rock. Their breathing came in rapid, short gasps as each woman was afraid to turn around, thinking the two gunmen had returned. Processing the question they'd been asked, it occurred to Cora's shocked and grief stricken mind that wanting to know if they were ok would be a very strange thing for the killers to ask them. Slowly turning around to face the speaker, she and Alice squinted through the brightness at the dark silhouettes of the two men standing behind the flashlight.

"It's ok, I'm Officer Edison Nez of the Navajo Tribal Police. This is Officer Harrison Clah." said the speaker as he identified himself and the other man standing along side of him. "We've come to get you ladies out of here. Are either of you hurt?"

As the officer shined the light on both himself and his partner so that the women could see them, Cora and Alice both let go a sigh of relief to see the two policemen standing before them. Rising to their feet on shaky legs, they held each other as they faced the officers.

"No, no we're not hurt. But our husbands…" Cora felt herself begin to choke and she stopped in mid sentence as she attempted to tell the officers about Wolf and Uncas. Seeing her sister was unable to continue, Alice mustered up the strength to speak for her.

"Our husbands are dead. Two men killed them and pushed their bodies into this hole." she said, fighting to keep herself under control as she indicated the pit behind them. "They were about to kill us too, but they suddenly ran out of here instead."

"We know." said Officer Clah. "Another officer, Dave Yazzie, apprehended them. They're both in custody as we speak. Come on. Let's get you two out of here."

_"NO!" _shouted Cora, having recovered her voice. "_Our husbands are down there!_ We're not leaving them! You have to send some men down there to get them out! My sister and I are _not l_eaving here without them!"

"We'll see to it your husbands are taken care of, but for now you have to come with us up to the surface. Please ma'am." stated Officer Nez firmly.

Feeling too physically and emotionally drained to argue, Cora and Alice relented and allowed the two officers to escort them out of the cavern. Taking one last look back at the hole, the women then glanced around the cavern as they walked, remembering how much fun they'd had when they first explored it with Uncas and Wolf. Now the place held nothing but horrible memories for them and as much as they hated to leave their husbands behind, they both could not wait to get out of the place.

* * *

As they reached the top of the stairs to the tunnel leading out of the caverns, the sisters could see the area outside was lit up from floodlights and the headlights of multiple police units whose radio chatter and flashing red, blue and white lights created an eerie scene.

Stepping out into the open, Alice and Cora looked around at the flurry of activity surrounding them. Numerous police personnel moved about, some placing things into large evidence bags and others going over the black pickup and camper with a fine toothed comb. Officer Dave Yazzie stood near one of the patrol units talking to a man who appeared to be his superior.

Nearby, a couple of officers sat inside of their units with the driver side doors open while they wrote something down and the interior lights enabled the women to see the gunmen sitting in the back seats looking totally resigned to their fate. Alice couldn't help but notice both men looked quite disheveled and wondered if they had gotten into a fight with each other. Both were bloody with bruises all over their faces and one of them had an eye that was black and swollen shut.

With one hand between their shoulder blades and the other holding their elbow, the two officers escorted Alice and Cora over to a waiting ambulance. Approaching the ambulance from the side, the women could see two medics were busy doing something as they stood outside facing the open back door. Coming around toward the back of the vehicle, both women stopped dead in their tracks. Sitting on the floor in the door of the ambulance getting their right arms bandaged up was none other than Uncas and Wolf.

Frozen, Cora and Alice were afraid to believe what they were seeing was real. Both men had white dust covering most of their clothing and traces still on their faces and hair. Looking from one to the other, Cora's eyes settled on one of the men.

_"WOLF!"_

Crying out his name, Cora ran over to the man she thought she'd never see again. Jumping on the back bumper of the ambulance and hurling herself on him, she flung her arms around his neck and sat on his hips as she burst into tears of joy. Wolf fell backward onto the floor of the ambulance from the force of her body hitting his. He held her tightly to him, relieved that she was unharmed and safe in his arms.

"Alice?"

In shock from the events of the evening and from witnessing her husband's murder Alice could not move as her mind denied what she was seeing in order to protect her from any more pain. As much as she wanted to, she was unable to believe he was alive out of fear she would discover she was hallucinating and that the man that she was looking at was, in reality, a total stranger.

Watching him get up and walk over to her, her body jumped and stiffened when she felt his warm hand touch her arm and she heard his voice again.

"Baby, are you ok?"

Looking at the hand on her arm, she saw the ring she had bought him on their first wedding anniversary and she looked up into the familiar, warm onyx eyes of its owner.

"Uncas?" she said in a barely audible whisper.

Seeing him smile and feeling his arms embrace her, Alice slowly put her arms around him and buried her face into his chest as tears involuntarily streamed down her cheeks. Hearing his heartbeat, she knew she was not hallucinating, that he was indeed alive and she clung to him tightly, afraid that if she didn't he would disappear forever.

_"Uncas! Oh god, I thought I'd lost you!" _she said, crying so hard she could barely get the words out.

"Shhh, I'm right here. I'm alright. It's all over now. It's all over." he softly whispered to her as he kissed the top of her head and nuzzled his face into her hair while slowly caressing her back.

Moving her hand up to his right shoulder and running it down his arm, Alice felt the gauze as he flinched.

_"Ahh!" _shouted Uncas, sucking air in through his teeth.

"You're hurt! Oh my god, you _did_ get shot!" cried Alice as she pulled away and saw for the first time the bandage on his arm. Frantically she ran her hands over his body as she looked for more wounds before Uncas took her hands in his to stop her.

"It's ok, it's not that bad. Wolf and I zigged when we should have zagged and we each got a wing clipped, that's all. Considering how many bullets we managed to dodge, I'd say we did pretty good!" Uncas told her as he led her over to the back of the ambulance where Wolf and Cora sat.

Cora stood up and threw her arms around Uncas, holding him tight as she whispered a prayer of thanks that he, too, was alive and safe. Alice did the same to Wolf, finally releasing him and looking him up and down, before gently touching the bandage on his arm.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright. It's just a scratch. I've had worse." he said, remembering the day back in 1877 when the two miners had ambushed him.

Just then, the two medics came over with blankets for Wolf and Uncas, as well as for Alice and Cora. As the medics checked the sisters for shock, Officer Dave Yazzie approached the group.

"How are you ladies doing?" he asked. "Officers Nez and Clah said you were both in quite a state when they found you down there. Are you ok?"

"We are now." said Alice, snuggling up next to Uncas as he sat down next to her and put his good arm around her shoulders.

"I can't even imagine how terrified you both must have been, thinking your husbands had been killed and then nearly getting killed yourselves by those two over there." said Dave, nodding his head toward the patrol vehicles departing with the gunmen. "I'm just glad everyone is safe and things turned out ok. Listen, I want to thank you guys for what you did tonight. When I asked for your help, I never intended for you to go after those men, but I guess since your both with the Sheriff's Department back home I shouldn't be surprised. It's hard to stop being a cop. I'd have probably done the same thing myself."

When the medics announced they were ready to transport them to the hospital, Dave told the two couples his lieutenant said they'd been through enough for the night and since they got Wolf and Uncas's initial statements, they'd get everyone's full statements in the morning.

* * *

Climbing into the back of the ambulance, Uncas and Wolf were instructed to lie down on the gurneys. Alice and Cora each sat in a drop seat next to their husbands and before they started the bumpy ride to the main road, the sisters were each given an IV for shock, despite their protests that they were fine. Uncas and Wolf also received IVs containing antibiotics for their wounds and ice packs for their hands. Once the ambulance started moving, Cora noticed the dust on the twin's clothes.

"What's all over your clothes?" she asked. To answer her, Wolf explained the events that took place after he and Uncas dove behind the rock.

"Fox and I were trying to take cover behind that big boulder. We'd just about made it when we both got hit in the arm, so we decided to take a sliding dive behind it. When Fox got hit he dropped his gun and since we're both right handed, neither of us felt sure we'd be able to fire my gun so we snuck out from behind the boulder into the darkness where those guys couldn't see us. We threw ourselves down behind another rock and landed in a patch of powdery white stuff that must have been from the minerals down there. Anyway, we were covered in the stuff." said Wolf as he slapped his leg and a poof of white dust rose up from his jeans.

"That's when you girls screamed and the men went after you." continued Uncas. "We ran after them and were creeping up behind them so that we could jump them when 'Blanket Woman' and her friends showed up."

"'Blanket Woman'?" said a surprised Alice. "Is that why those men were so scared? Where was she? And who were her friends?"

"You two didn't see her?" asked Uncas. "She was standing right in front of you both with about half a dozen Anasazi warriors who definitely meant business. Wolf and I could hardly believe what we were seeing and we barely managed to get out of the way when those men ran past us."

"After they left, Fox and I were about to come over to you but 'Blanket Woman' stopped us. She shook her head and smiled and held up her hand, then nodded her head for us to go after the gunmen. We knew 'Blanket Woman' would keep you safe so we took off after them. Those two idiots were in such a panic, they didn't see us following them." said Wolf.

"Once we got outside we stayed in the shadows and ran to the far end of the ruins." said Uncas. "That's when Wolf got the idea to pretend we were ghosts. Those two were already so scared that it didn't take much to push them over the edge. With this white stuff all over us and the flashlight with the bandana on it, all it took was a howling wolf and a barking fox to get things started. After a couple of 'ghostly appearances' we were able to scare the shit out of them. One of them even wet his pants!"

"If I hadn't been ready to kill those two bastards I would have laughed my ass off," Wolf added, "but I wasn't in a laughing mood. When someone tries to kill my family I take it damn personal."

"So do I." said Uncas. "When we finally got right on top of them, Wolf and I couldn't hold back anymore and we let them have it." he said, indicating his bruised knuckles. "It's a good thing Dave Yazzie came along when he did or we would have kicked the shit out of them."

"How did all those police get there so quickly?" asked Cora.

"Dave said he decided to check out the ruins while on patrol and everyone else, including the ambulance, was on their way back from a drug bust on another part of the reservation. They happened to be passing by the area when Dave radioed in for backup. Talk about sheer luck!"

"That wasn't luck." said the medic, who had been listening to the conversation. "It was the Ancient Ones protecting you. Sometimes they appear to us as shadows of the past. The one you call 'Blanket Woman' has been a guardian watching over Annie Tsosie since she was a baby. She is Annie's great-great grandmother, who died on the Long Walk of the Navajos back in the 1800's. She protects Annie and, because you are taking care of Annie by looking after her camp, she thinks of all of you as family and protected you as well."

"Ohhh!" said Alice. "We'll have to give a special thank you to 'Blanket Woman' and her friends."

* * *

Arriving at the hospital, Uncas and Wolf had their wounds treated. Cora also informed Wolf's doctor of how he had been heavily sedated by the tranquilizers and, as a result, he had to endure some additional tests to make sure he had not suffered any permanent damage from it.

After the brothers were given a clean bill of health and released, they found Dave Yazzie waiting to give them a ride home. On the ride back to the camp, he gave Uncas back his gun, which the crime lab had found in the cavern. He also informed them that the gunmen had been identified as Brandon and Mark Lester, the sons of Tom Lester who owns and operates the Shelter Rock Trading Post. While being interrogated, Mark started singing like a bird and told of how he, along with his brother and father, had found a treasure trove of pots and artifacts at the ruins and had been illegally digging them up and selling them on the black market for years, along with stolen pawn from the trading post.

He also admitted that the three of them were responsible for all of the mysterious deaths and disappearances at the ruins and of how he and his brother pushed the rock down off the top of the cliff, intending to kill the couples as they walked back from the ruins the other day. Mark had said he was sure they had killed Uncas and Wolf and, like Alice and Cora, he too thought the twins had fallen into the hole. Mark also told of how his brother, Brandon, had laced the water bottles with tranquilizers.

Dave then said a buddy of his in the police lab did a rush on testing the water in Wolf and Cora's bottles and confirmed that they did indeed contain a lethal amount of an extremely powerful tranquilizer commonly used to sedate large animals such as livestock. Wolf's blood tests showed traces of the tranquilizer in his system, legally confirming the police labs findings. Dave said his buddy told him it was a good thing Wolf hadn't taken more than a tiny sip. A couple of good swallows and he would have died almost instantly.

* * *

**Author's note: **Well, we are almost to the end of this story. There is one more chapter to go. I'd like to thank all of you who take the time to give your reviews. It really helps us authors to know what our readers think. The final chapter is in the works and will soon be ready for posting. Oh, by the way…you didn't think I'd really kill Uncas and Wolf did you? I still love those guys!


	10. Chapter 10: Homeward Bound

**Chapter 10: Homeward Bound**

By the time Uncas and Wolf had been released from the hospital and they'd all made the long ride back to the camp, it was late afternoon of the following day. Once they arrived at the camp, Dave Yazzie took everyone's official statements down for the record, which took several more hours.

By the time he left it was early evening and both couples were exhausted and hungry from the long ordeal they'd been through. Alice and Cora insisted their husbands get some rest and neither Wolf nor Uncas argued as both were only too happy to climb into bed. Fixing a light supper from the leftovers in the refrigerator, the sisters brought the food into the bedrooms and joined their husbands for an early night.

Although a cool breeze from an approaching thunderstorm blew in through the open window, the bedroom was still warm and Alice put on a light cotton nightgown. Uncas wore only his briefs. Lying on top of the sheets, they settled in for the night.

As they enjoyed eating dinner in bed, Alice prattled on to Uncas about the book she was reading. It was a very suspenseful mystery and when she asked him if he thought he might enjoy reading it next, she received no reply from him. Glancing over at Uncas, she saw he had fallen asleep. Being careful not to wake him, she slipped the fork out of his hand and removed the plate from his lap, then brought the dishes out into the kitchen. When she returned to the bedroom, she saw he had slid down the pillows propped up behind him and was curled up on his side.

Climbing back into bed, Alice removed his extra pillow before lying down. Although very tired, she curled her arm under her head and watched him sleep for a while. This was the first quiet time she'd had alone with him since they'd been reunited and she was savoring every moment of it. Gently brushing a finger over one of his dark eyebrows, she then listened to his breathing as she watched the even rise and fall of his chest.

How close she had come to losing him forever. The very thought of never seeing this beautiful man ever again made her throat tighten up and her eyes fill with tears and she could not help but put her arm around him as she pressed her forehead to his. Giving a big sigh, Uncas opened his eyes and smiled at his wife.

"I thought I was eating? Did I fall asleep?" he asked groggily as he looked on the bed for the plate he suddenly remembered holding.

"Yes, you did. I'm sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep baby." she said as she brushed his hair with her fingers, hoping he wouldn't see her tears.

"Mmmmm, later." he murmured. "I want to enjoy you for a while first." Rolling onto his back, he pulled her close to him and she rested her head on his chest while she caressed it slowly.

"I thought I'd lost you last night. It was the worst night of my life. I couldn't bear the thought of never seeing you again." she told him.

"I know, babe. I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

"I almost jumped."

"Jumped? What are you talking about? Jumped where?"

"Into that big hole behind the rock in the cavern. I thought you'd fallen in there after you'd been shot and all I wanted was to be with you."

Uncas sat up, unable to believe what he was hearing. Pulling Alice up with him, he held the sides of her shoulders as he looked at her for a moment in stunned silence.

"What are you saying? Are you telling me you were going to _kill_ yourself because you thought I was _dead_?" he asked.

"Yes, I was. And I would have, too, if Cora hadn't been there to stop me. Uncas, _I love you_! You're my whole world, you're my _life_. Without you there is _nothing_. Without you I _have_ nothing."

Uncas leaned back on the headboard as the magnitude of what she told him sunk in. Taking both of her hands in his, he looked into her tear filled eyes.

"Alice, listen to me. I want you to promise you will _never_ do anything like that again. I don't _ever _want you to even _think_ about doing anything like that, do you hear me? _Geez! _Babe, you would have killed yourself for _nothing! I wasn't dead!_ I know you didn't know that at the time, but….Oh God….you _didn't _know. I was so wrapped up in catching those guys, it didn't occur to me that you didn't see Wolf and I behind them. If you had jumped it would have been my fault!" he said. Looking down, he closed his eyes while shaking his head. "What the _fuck _was I thinking? Baby I am so sorry! I just didn't want those bastards to get away after what they were going to do to you and Cora." Looking at Alice, he wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry too, Uncas." she whispered onto his chest. "I just don't know how I could ever go on living without you." Uncas took a deep breath and slowly let it out before gently moving Alice away from him and putting both of his hands on either side of her face.

Baby look at me. I know you don't like to talk about this, but we both know how dangerous my job is. I'm a deputy with the Sheriff's Department and even though I'm assigned to the Search and Rescue division, it doesn't mean I only go out looking for lost hikers. Sometimes I'm looking for criminals on the run who feel they have nothing to lose by killing a cop. And even when I _am_ rescuing civilians, there are any _number _of ways I could get killed. All it takes is a loose anchor pin while climbing, a rattlesnake I don't see in time, a loose rock, an avalanche, _hell_ even the _helicopter_ I sometimes ride in could crash in bad weather conditions. It could even be the result of something happening to Wolf. He and I don't tell you and Cora even _half_ of the things we've experienced on the job because we don't want either of you to worry about us any more than you already do. The point I'm trying to make is that I don't want you doing anything stupid because you think something happened to me. I know it's your worst nightmare that someday while I'm on duty there's going to be a knock at the door and someone from the department is going to be standing there telling you I'm never coming home. God forbid that happens but if it does, I need you to be _strong_, not only for yourself but for our children. I need to know that I can depend on you to take care of Lila and Robbie if I'm not there anymore. Will you promise me that? Please?"

Alice nodded her head as she fought to control the tears that flowed down her cheeks. It took a moment before she could speak.

"I promise." she said.

* * *

Lying on his back, Wolf rolled over onto his right side. A searing pain woke him from a sound sleep and he immediately rolled onto his back again as he put his hand over the bandage that was just above his bicep. Tired of lying on his back, he rolled onto his left side, but no matter how many times he tossed and turned, the pain in his arm would not allow him to get comfortable. Trying to decide if he hurt bad enough to take one of the painkillers the doctor had prescribed, he heard someone begin singing out in the livingroom. Turning his head so that he could hear better, Wolf could clearly make out a woman's voice singing a traditional Navajo lullaby. Sitting up, he reached over and gently shook Cora's shoulder to wake her up.

"Wha..? Wolf? Are you alright? Is something wrong?" said Cora, instantly awake and full of concern for her husband.

"Shhh! Listen!" he whispered, holding his finger to his lips and nodding his head toward the bedroom door. Listening to the darkness, Cora also heard the singing.

"Is that 'Blanket Woman?" she whispered back.

"Yeah, it must be."

"She sounds very happy."

"Yeah, she does. She's got a pretty nice voice too, very soothing." whispered Wolf as he and Cora settled back down again. Listening to the lullaby, they both fell asleep in each others arms.

* * *

Sitting in the kitchen early the next morning, Wolf sipped his coffee while Cora prepared breakfast. The smell of bacon cooking filled the small home and Wolf was just about to see if it was cooked enough for him to sneak a piece, when the other bedroom door opened and Alice walked across the livingroom with her head down and her eyes to the floor as she headed to the bathroom. When Cora smiled and greeted her sister with a cheery 'good morning', Alice replied with a short and barely audible 'morning' without even raising her head.

Just as Alice closed the bathroom door behind her, Uncas walked out of the bedroom. He, too, responded to Wolf and Cora's greeting in much the same manner as his wife as he poured himself some coffee and went out the back door.

"What was that all about?" Cora asked Wolf.

"I don't know." he said as he got up from the table and followed his brother outside.

He found Uncas sitting at the picnic table under the ramada, staring at his coffee with a very somber look on his face. Walking over to the ramada, Wolf stood beside his brother and set his mug down on the table before swishing his hands back and forth over the top of his brother's head.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Uncas as he looked up at Wolf.

"There's a big storm cloud floating over your head with lightening bolts shooting out of it. I'm trying to clear it away so I can sit down next to you without getting wet or zapped."

"Very funny." said Uncas dryly as he turned back to stare at his coffee again.

"Sheesh! Somebody sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed! And Alice too for that matter. What's going on with you two?" said Wolf as he sat down next to Uncas.

"We had a talk last night. It was pretty interesting." said Uncas, still staring at his coffee.

"Interesting how?"

"I learned about a side of Alice I didn't know existed and it scares the shit out of me."

"What do you mean?" asked Wolf who was now very serious and concerned.

"Do you remember when we dove for cover behind that big rock in the cavern?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, Alice thought you and I had fallen into that hole after we'd been shot…..and she was going to jump into it to be with me!"

_"What?" _asked Wolf, not quite sure he had heard correctly.

"Yeah. She thought I was dead and she was going to kill herself so that we could be together again. Ahh God, Wolf, I don't know what to do or what to think! If Cora hadn't been there to stop her, she….I would have lost her. And it would have been _my fault_, just as much as if I had pushed her in myself. I should have gone over to her before we ran out of that cavern. But no, not me. I was too busy being a cop instead of being a husband."

"Hey, I wasn't any better you know." said Wolf. "I ran after those guys right along with you. And we _were_ going to go over to them, remember? But 'Blanket Woman' stopped us. I just took it for granted that the girls saw us and it was ok to leave them." said Wolf.

"Yeah, so did I." Uncas paused for a moment. Slamming his fist down on the table, he continued. "She wanted to die, Wolf! Without me she didn't want to live anymore!"

"She loves you, Fox, more than you ever _knew_. You're a bigger part of her life than you ever realized and it scares you. And the fact that you could have lost her has made you realize just how much _you _love _her_ and that scares you too."

"Yeah. It does. I don't know what I'd do without her. What we do for a living is dangerous and I'm afraid that if something like this ever happens again she'll do something stupid and there won't be anyone to stop her next time. Damn it, Wolf, I can't lose her!" said Uncas as he rubbed his eyes. Looking closely, Wolf could see his brother was very tired.

"You didn't sleep last night, did you?" he asked.

"No, not really. I don't think she did either. After Alice and I talked we just laid there. I wanted to hold her but she wouldn't let me, she just pushed me away. Then she rolled over with her back to me and I know she was crying most of the night. I don't know where to go from here."

"Well I do. You go to your wife and you hold her and tell her how much you love her. She's hurting right now just as much as you are. She probably feels humiliated and confused and thinks you're either angry or disgusted with her because she let you down. That's probably why she pushed you away last night, because she's afraid you love her less now. She needs to know how deep your love for her is."

* * *

As Uncas and Wolf stepped through the backdoor into the kitchen, they were met by a perplexed Cora. When Uncas asked her where Alice was, she told him her sister finally came out of the bathroom and quickly went back into the bedroom without saying a word. As Wolf took Cora by the arm and led her outside saying their siblings needed some privacy, Uncas knocked on the bedroom door before entering. He found Alice lying on the bed curled up in the fetal position, her eyes red and swollen. Sitting on the bed in front of her, he gently rubbed her back.

"Don't cry anymore, please?" he said softly.

"I sorry I made you angry and I'm sorry I'm so weak." she whispered without looking at him.

"You _didn't_ make me angry and you're _not _weak. Your one of the strongest people I've ever known. When I think about all that you went through and all that you did back in the old days, between the Hurons and the fort and how you saved my life twice! And now putting up with me being a cop and with everything you went through at the ruins. You are _far _from being weak, Pretty One. In some ways I think you're stronger than I am. And I am so proud that you're my wife."

"You are?" she asked as she turned toward him.

"Yeah! I just got so scared last night when you told me about what you almost did. It scared me because I can't bear the thought of losing you either. I love you, Alice, and in case you didn't know, you're _my_ whole world too!"

* * *

It was nearly noon when Uncas and Alice finally joined Wolf and Cora outside under the ramada. Both looked much happier than they had earlier that morning and Wolf took the opportunity to give them some good natured teasing.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us! It's about time you two came up for air. By the way, Fox, you might want to take that oil can in the shed and squirt it on those bedsprings. We could hear them squeaking like crazy all the way out here!" he said with a mischievous grin.

Cora laughed at her husband's joke as Wolf tried unsuccessfully to dodge a punch from his grinning brother. Alice also laughed, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. Touching her sister's arm, Cora mouthed the words 'are you ok?' as she looked from Alice to Uncas. Alice gave a beautiful smile and nodded.

"Hey Fox, Cora and I are planning to hike over to the ruins today and thank the Ancient Ones for helping us. If you still have any strength left in your legs after your workout this morning, do you and Alice want to join us?" Wolf asked, still with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"You're absolutely terrible! Promise me you'll never change!" said Alice as she sat next to Wolf and gave him a big hug. "And yes, we'd like to thank them too."

* * *

At the ruins, Uncas and Wolf each said a prayer of thanks in Navajo to the spirits of the Ancient Ones for their assistance in saving the lives of their wives down in the caverns. Both twins held up a bundle of sage to the four sacred directions and to the earth and the sky before setting them down next to one of the outer walls of the ruins. They then stepped back so that Alice and Cora could each give their thanks as well.

After taking one last look at the ruins, the four were just about to start on their way back to the camp when they heard the cry of an eagle. Looking up they saw the majestic bird take off from the top of the cliff where it had been watching them and as it flew over their heads, they saw two feathers drop down. As the feathers floated down within reach, Uncas and Wolf each moved quickly to catch them before they touched the ground.

"I guess they Ancient Ones heard us. I think this is their way of saying 'your welcome'." said Wolf quietly.

"Wow!" said Uncas, deeply moved by the gift they'd just received. "It's no small thing when an eagle drops a feather directly to you. It means they are blessing you with this special gift."

* * *

With the exception of a couple of trips to Tuba City for water and supplies, the two couples spent the next few days relaxing at the camp and exploring some of the surrounding land, including an area where the ground was littered with pieces of petrified wood which dated back to a prehistoric forest that had once grown in the area.

The events in the cavern had a major impact not only on Uncas and Alice, but on Wolf and Cora as well and each couple frequently slipped off to various secluded spots to spend intimate private time together. None of them would ever forget how close they came to losing the love of their life and every moment they could spend together was precious and treasured.

All too soon it was time to head back home and, with the SUV loaded up, they said goodbye to 'Blanket Woman' and started out early that morning for the long ride back. The thought of home reminded them of how much they missed their children and it was decided that with the exception of the occasional stop to eat, stretch and refuel the SUV, that they would head straight home and forego any additional sightseeing.

Stopping at a small convenience store to get gas and snacks for the road, Alice and Uncas wandered into a small room that served as a mini museum, housing various antiquities and photographs from the area dating around the mid to late 1800's. Gazing at the sepia colored photographs displayed on the wall, Uncas's attention was drawn to one photo in particular.

"Oh my god, _it's her_!" said Uncas half out loud and half under his breath.

"Who?" asked Alice as she came over to see what he was looking at. Hearing them, Wolf and Cora came over to see as well.

"Her!" said Uncas as he pointed to a young woman in one of the photographs. "Remember when we were driving out here and I almost hit that girl walking down the road? The one we couldn't find afterwards? That's _her_!"

"Are you sure?" asked Cora.

"Believe me, that's a face I'll _never_ forget!" he said.

"Excuse me!" Wolf said to the middle aged couple who ran the store. "Could you tell us about these photos in here?"

"Certainly!" the wife replied cheerfully. "My husband and I are amateur historians. This room contains some of the 19th century memorabilia we've collected over the years pertaining to this area. The photos you folks are looking at are of some of the missionaries who came out to this area to convert the Hopi people back in the mid 1800's."

"This woman looks familiar, do you by chance know who she is?" asked Uncas.

"_Ha!_ I most certainly do! That there is Emily Sanders, the young wife of Isaiah Sanders. She was part of a huge scandal and, until recently, an unsolved mystery in these parts."

"Please tell us about it?" asked Alice.

Well, young Emily there was only sixteen years old when her father married her off to Isaiah, who was about 40 years her senior if my memory serves me. Anyway, Emily was in love with a boy her own age and the two conducted a secret love affair for several years after her marriage. Then one day, ol' Isaiah found out about his wife's infidelity and the two of them had a _huge_ argument that half the town overheard. Emily stood firm and declared her love for the young fella and announced she was going to leave her husband and run away with her lover. Needless to say, Isaiah was livid and forbid his wife to leave. Story has it things got a little violent between them and Emily stormed out of the house after she whacked Isaiah upside the head with a skillet when he tried to choke her. Folks said they saw her stalking off into the desert and that was the last anyone ever saw of her."

Opening up one of the display cases, the woman removed a small leather bound journal before she continued.

"A lot of theories popped up about what might have happened to her. Some folks said she had been abducted by Indians…uh….no disrespect intended." she said to Uncas and Wolf.

"None taken." Wolf smiled back.

"Anyway, others said she got lost out there in the desert and died of the elements. What happened to her remained a mystery until about ten years ago when we bought an old trunk that had belonged to Isaiah. Everett and I were sorting through the contents when we noticed something funny about the bottom of the trunk. After poking at it a bit, we discovered it had a false bottom and after removing it, we found this old journal had been hidden there. Reading through it, we found it contained the usual entries one would expect to find, but then we got a big surprise! About three quarters of the way through there was an entry in which Isaiah confessed to murdering Emily! Apparently, after she stormed out of the house, Isaiah snuck out after her and caught up to her somewhere around what's now the road leading to Window Rock. They got into another big fight and this time when he choked her, he finished the job! Then he buried her body out there somewhere and snuck back into town where he played the 'grieving widow' for the rest of his days."

"Some people have said they still see Emily storming her way down that road, angry as all get up, trying to get away from her husband." said Everett as he joined his wife, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"We've never seen her, but we've heard from enough credible people who have to believe it's true!"

* * *

It was late afternoon when the two couples finally arrived home. Pulling into the driveway, they were greeted by their children, who came running out of the house as they screamed '_Mommy, Daddy!'_. After much hugs and kisses, the little ones went into the house with their parents and little Lila and Maggie announced they were going to have a tea party in the backyard with grandpa.

All of the adults were as overjoyed as the children to have the two couples home again and, as any mother would, Grandma Lila immediately noticed the bandages on Uncas and Wolf's arms. Having decided not to mention the incident in the caverns, the twins brushed it off as nothing more than a slight injury received while hiking as they helped themselves to some ice tea in the kitchen.

Nathanial and Sofia greeted the returning travelers from where they sat side by side on the sofa in the connecting family room. Both looked exhausted and it was revealed they had just returned from having taken the children on an outing to the zoo and aquarium in Albuquerque.

"Did you have fun?" asked Alice.

"Yeah….yeah, we, we had a great time!" said Sofia, as she smiled a little too much.

"It was great!" said Nathanial, who Uncas noticed looked a bit 'shell shocked'.

_"Oh, thank God your home!"_ was the enthusiastic greeting given by Ian as he entered the room. "You four are a sight for sore eyes!"

"How were the kids?" asked Wolf.

"Oh fine! Good as gold! They were great! Everything was fine! Wonderful!" was the collected reply of all of the adults present. Looking pointedly at all of them, the two couples finally got a straight answer from them.

"I love my nephews and nieces with all my heart." said Duncan. "But I would rather face an entire Huron war party with nothing more than a toothbrush to defend myself with, than endure another week of entertaining four little ones who are missing their mommies and daddies."

"Aye!" agreed Ian. "If I had a dollar for every time they asked 'Are they coming home yet?', I could take the money and buy my own private island in the Caribbean! Which actually sounds pretty good about now!"

"They're great kids and it was a good experience for Sofia and I to spend time with them. It helped us to decide to wait awhile after we get married before we start having any of our own…wait a _long_ while!" said Nathanial.

"Don't listen to any of them!" said Lila. "They were perfect angels. The four of you are doing a wonderful job raising them. The little ones just missed you is all. And, yes Alice, we did spoil them rotten! Now, tell us all about the trip!"

As Cora and Alice began filling everyone in on their vacation, Wolf looked out the kitchen window and gave a laugh as he nudged Uncas with his elbow and motioned for him to look too.

"There's a sight you don't see every day!" said Wolf. Glancing out the window, Uncas nearly spit out his mouthful of ice tea when he saw what his brother was looking at.

Sitting at the patio table, little Lila and Maggie were having a tea party with grandpa Chingachgook, who was wearing a sparkly tiara on his head and a neon pink feather boa around his neck while holding out a little toy tea cup which Maggie pretended to fill. Clamping a hand over their mouths, the brothers shook with laughter at the sight.

"Didn't anyone warn him about the required dress code for tea parties?" asked Uncas when he was finally able to speak.

"If not, he knows now!" said Wolf. As Robbie and little Ian ran through the kitchen playing superhero with bath towels tucked into their collars for capes, Wolf put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Be it ever so humble, it's good to be home!"

* * *

**Author's note: **Thus we reach the end of another story about our favorite twins as some of you have affectionately named them. I, too, am sad this adventure has come to an end. I enjoy writing about Uncas and Wolf. I would like to thank all of you who took the time to write reviews, especially Eilan21, DearestAmy and Zihuatanejo. Your thoughts and comments are much appreciated, my friends.

I have several ideas for a new story that I am considering and I would appreciate your input. One would be a period piece set in 1757 and loosely involving the characters from the movie in a love triangle. The other would be a modern version of the movie set in the present, but more of a romance/relationship/drama theme than action and bad guys and possibly containing the same love triangle from the period piece.

Please let me know what you would like to read. I would LOVE to write another Uncas/Wolf story too and I have an idea about that as well if I can make it work. The thing I like about Uncas and Wolf is the unique bond they share as twins and the close relationship they have. I also love Wolf's fun loving and mischievous personality and the serious side that comes out of him as well.

Thank you all, again!


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